Emerald and Gold
by pikarii
Summary: After the final battle, Harriet faces some troubling circumstances as her hold on her magic seemingly slips away. Now, she has to leave behind her friends and family to regain her precious magic. How does Forks help? And are those vampires? Shape shifters? What's going on! Forks may not have been the safest choice to relocate after all... Fem!Harry, Smart!Harry, Powerful!Harry...
1. Chapter 1

A/N : That's it! I gave into the temptation to join the fictional world. So here I am, I present to you my first fanfiction. This little plot bunny has been roaming around my head since forever. I plan to keep this fic long. The plot for the entire story has already been mapped down. Thank you for giving this story a chance. Please review. Your opinion is precious to me. I am open for all suggestions. I would also be happy to rectify all the mistakes that you may encounter.

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Twilight book series.**

 **Pairing : Fem!Harry/Edward (eventually)**

Chapter 1

 _Three days after the battle at Hogwarts._

 _Location : Black Manor (12 Grimmauld Place)_

"Lumos"

Harry gasped. A searing pain shot through her core.

"It's as if your core has locked down," said healer Wesley.

He proceeded to cast a series of diagnostic spells at Harry.

"Lady Potter, with your permission, I would like to perform a charm that will allow me to examine your core further. The charm will create a holograph of your core and hence, help me determine if it was damaged during your battle with You-Know-Who." Harry nodded; giving her assent as Wesley carefully murmured the required incantation, while moving his wand in a circle over her heart. Suddenly, a glowing ball of emerald green light floated on top of her heart. The energy ball was roughly the size of a muggle tennis ball. It emitted strong pulses of green light. Harry glanced at the healer to gauge his reaction. As per her limited knowledge about healing magic, her core seemed perfectly normal.

"Impossible!" Wesley gasped. 'Impossible' – Harry hated that word. That damned word had been used to describe nearly every aspect of her life. Impossible, no one can survive a killing curse. Impossible, a mere child couldn't have defeated Lord Voldemort. Impossible, a group of fifteen year olds cannot defeat an army of dark wizards. Impossible, Harry potter couldn't defeat the most powerful darklord at the tender age of seventeen. Yet she had. Harry had achieved all that and more. But at a terrible price, it would seem.

"Could you please elaborate, healer Wesley?"

"Forgive me, my Lady. Your core seems to be functioning perfectly. It's just that.. well.. I was only surprised to witness it's size. An average wizard's core is about the size of a grape. Compared to that, your core has expanded to be thrice in size. That would explain why you're having difficulty in casting magic."

"My core has expanded? Shouldn't that provide me greater ease in casting magic? Why is it then, that a simple 'Lumos' almost knocks me out?"

"An average wizard's body cannot handle the amount of magic your core contains. The expansion of your core must be the result of your battle. As your body is currently unable to handle this magical energy, your core has locked itself to protect you. It is emitting waves of healing magic that is modifying your body in order to handle this excess energy. I apologize, but there is nothing one can do in this situation. Unless and until this healing process finishes, you'll feel difficulty casting even the most basic spells."

No spells! No magic! Magic has been her support all throughout her life. She may not have had the most loving family but she always had a loving mother. She liked to assume she was Mother Magic's favorite child. Her loving mother was always with her, to support her through thick and thin. It was unbearable to think that the one gift her mother has given her was being snatched from her. She had to figure out a way to handle this.

"Is there any way I can help this process along? Maybe hasten it? Any ritual?"

"I'm afraid time is the only thing that can impact your progress. Give it time, Lady Potter. Meanwhile, keep casting small, trivial spells. This may help your body get reacquainted with your magic. But please, do not exert yourself in any way."

Emerald eyes snapped to the door, which had opened just as the healer finished his advice. Harry watched as two of her best friends entered the room with worried looks on their faces.

"Thank you for your time, healer Wesley; that is all. I would keep you updated about my progress and will make sure to immediately notify you as soon as there are any changes."

The healer bowed and took his leave. Ron caught Harry's eyes from the doorway and nodded. He then followed the healer to escort him to the living room floo area. Once alone with Hermione, Harry allowed her carefully placed mask to crumble as soft tears rolled down her face.

"It hurts, Hermione. It hurts to.. to.."

"Oh Harry…" Hermione rushed forward to hug her sister. "It's alright Harriet, I'm here with you. Ron's here too. We all will support you. We will get through this, like we always do."

"It's dangerous for her to be here though", Ron said as he entered the room to sit besides Harriet. "With the defeat of Voldemort, Harry has painted a big bull's eye on her back. Every escaped death eater is trying to find her. It is an extremely dangerous time for her to be magic-less. But, like Hermione said, we're here for you Harry. We'll make sure you're safe. One of us will be here with you at all -"

"And then what, Ron? How long will you be able to babysit me? The healer said that my magic may take an 'indefinite' amount of time to be normal again. It may take months! Years even, for my body to regain it's control. We have to find some other way! There must be something!" Harry glanced pleadingly at Hermione, hoping that she had a solution to her dilemma.

Hermione frowned, trying to recollect anything that could help Harriet right now. "I may have heard of something. I have read about these spiritual places.. umm.. tribes. These places are known to be saturated with a guiding energy, generally regarded to be a guardian spirit by the locals. Magical people from all over the world visit these places to seek this guiding presence. It is possible that staying at such a place for some time may help you recover faster, Harry."

"Yes! I have heard of them! Bill visited one of these places in Egypt during his travels. I think this will be ideal for you Harry. We can all conceal our appearances and move to one such place. This way we can – "

"No! Ron," Harry interrupted. "I agree the idea has merit. We should do some more research to come up with the ideal location. But only I will be moving to this place. I have no right to uproot your life here. Hermione has her Mastery to complete. You're busy with your auror training. I do not want you to make any more sacrifices for me. I appreciate all that you guys have done for me. But it is time I face my demons on my own now. "

"What sacrifices are you talking about Harriet!?" said Ron, " You're like a sister to us Harry. Both Hermione and I consider you family. And helping or supporting one's family does not classify as a sacrifice. So stop being ridiculous and overly dramatic!"

"I know Ron. I understand all of that. I know you both will always be here for me. I have your support. I know. But that does not help my conscious Ron. I cannot do this to you both again, cannot ask you to do this. Please try to understand Ron. I have to do this on my own."

"Harry is right Ron," said Hermione. "This is a battle she must fight on her own. But remember this Harry, wherever you may be, we'll always be one call away from you. You need us and we'll be there. So never hesitate to call us!"

"Yes Professor," smiled Harry. "You know what this means right? It's research time! Let's search for these spiritual places!" Ron groaned as the two ladies giggled with mirth.

* * *

 _Location : The great library, Black Manor, Grimmauld Place_

It seems like ages ago now. This familiar setting, the peace , the quiet. Harriet sighed in content as the calm settled over them. Even with the upcoming storm, they knew it was the precious few moments like these that will be cherished forever.

Lady Harriet Lilly Potter Black Gryffindor Peverell was beautiful, intelligent, graceful, kind. Yet she was also fierce, cunning and overly protective of those she considered to be her family. Now, she twisted an errant curl of black hair around her finger as she flipped through the Black archives.

"Found it!" Ron exclaimed. "Look, according to this archive Lady Isla Black was banished from the Black family during the turn of 19th Century. Isla Black fell in love with a muggle shape shifter. She was outcast from the family as a result of this union. It says here that she seeked one such spiritual place to settle with her family."

"And where was this place?" queried Hermione.

"Umm… it's near a place called 'Forks'?! What kind of name is that? Anyways... It says here that this place is situated near the Forks town in America."

"Well that's not too far. It's worth a shot. The only other place we know is in Egypt," said Harry.

"That's settled, then," said Hermione "Now, we have to select a disguise for you. This should be fun! Let's start with your Scar. Hmm.. well it's not a horcrux anymore. Maybe a glamour charm can work on it? Aha! It does! What about your eyes? They're very distinctive. We can try to dull them down a bit-"

"Slow down Hermione!" said Harry. "How will I reapply these charms once they fade away? We'll have to search for an alternate technique. Muggle make up is also not an option. It can be easily wiped off. I need something more permanent."

"Well in that case, runes is our only option. We'll have to create a specific glamour rune that will alter your features at your will."

"Ancient runes! Don't look at me. I don't know anything about runes. You and Harriet were the ones to opt for that class. Didn't the two of you achieve an 'O' in runes during your NEWTS?" asked Ron.

"We achieved 'O's in all our NEWTS subjects Ron," Harriet said, amused. "You're right Hermione. We should try to develop a glamour rune."

* * *

 _Three hours later…_

"Blimey, Harry! Is that you?! I can hardly recognise you now!" exclaimed Ron.

Hermione rolled her eyes, "That's kind of the point of this Ron!"

Harriet chuckled. Her waist length luscious black hair was shortened to reach just below her shoulders. It's color was a dark brown instead of the jet black it had been before. Her scar hidden from view. Her emerald green sparkling eyes were now a dull grey green. Her physical stature was still the same petit as it had been before, but her skin had lost that healthy white glow. Her sharp aristocratic features were softened. Overall, she looked… well… average.

Harriet pressed her wand to the small rune tattoo on her upper arm and the glamour faded away. Hermione grinned, satisfied with her work. Harriet gave an answering grin as she mentally prepared herself for what was to come.

 _Ready or not Forks! Here I come._


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Thank you so much for all your support, guys! There were some punctuation errors in the last chapter. I have fixed all those I could find. Some scenes in this chapter (about Forks) are directly taken from the book with few modifications. Also, just a fair warning for the chapters coming ahead, Harry will get closer to t_ _he_ Quileute tribe, _before she gets to know the Cullens. Other than that,_ _please read and review!_

 **Chapter 2**

"Don't go Harry. Pwease! Don't..." Teddy sniffled as he pressed his face into Harriet's neck.

"I'm sorry Teddy. I would have taken you along, Teddy. But it's not safe for you there, my dear. I promise you though; you can talk to me anytime you want. You can also visit me there with your grandma." soothed Harry, as she rubbed her hand across his back to calm him.

Teddy whimpered and clutched Harry tighter around her neck. "No! Pwease.."

Andromeda sighed "It's okay Teddy. I promise, you can visit your godmother whenever you want. Do you want to have ice cream with Harry? Let's go then! We can go to Fortescue's parlor to have your favourite ice cream right now. Would you like to do that?"

Teddy sniffed once more as he slowly raised his head to look at Harriet. The small grey tuff of hair on his head slowly turned back to its usual neon blue as he looked at Harriet with tear stains on his cheek. "You'll come with us? Right, Harry? You won't weave me?"

"I can never leave you, Teddy. I'm always here for you. Do you have your special mirror with you?" Teddy nodded. "You can talk to me through it anytime you want." Teddy's brown eyes turned emerald green as he gazed into Harriet's eyes. "I love you, Harry"

"I love you too, Teddy. Now! Let's go have some-" "Icecream!" Teddy exclaimed. Harriet and Andromeda chuckled at his enthusiasm.

 _I'll miss you Teddy, so much. But I cannot take risks with you, love. I want you to have a normal childhood. It's better this way. Forgive me._

* * *

 _One week later_

 _Location: Heathrow Airport London_

"You're enrolled at the local high school at Forks. It's less suspicious that way. We have already settled your living arrangements. The fire place is connected to the floo network. We've warded the place as best as we can without using Fidelius. Please Harry, tell us if you need anything. Don't forget to practice your spells. Be careful. We'll let you know if we hear anything about the escaped death eaters. And take some rest Harry! Don't exert yourself! You know what will happ-"

"Calm down Mione! I know! Don't worry" Harry hugged her sister. "Come here Ron," she beckoned as he joined into the group hug.

"We'll miss you Harry. Come back soon. And keep in touch," said Ron, softly. "I'll miss you both too, Ron." Harry sighed.

* * *

 _Location: Forks_

Forks seemed like a pleasant town. Harriet was used to the cloudy weather. She looked at the small house in front of her. The two storied house had 3 bedrooms in all. One room was besides the living room at the bottom floor and the other two were situated at the top floor.

Harry settled into the fully furnished house fairly easily. By evening, she decided to go for a stroll in the neighboring forest. Making sure that her glamours were in place, she grabbed her keys and left her new home.

She could feel it here, that spiritual energy. It kept getting stronger the deeper she strolled into the forest. The trees eventually gave way to a sandy beach. The La Push beach, if her knowledge held true.

"Hey!" She looked to the right to identify the source of the call. "You look new. Are you a tourist?"

"No, I just recently bought a house in Forks. I'm Harriet Black." She smiled as she offered a handshake.

"Jacob Black", grinned the tall muscular boy in front of her. "Welcome to Forks, Harriet!" he said as he shook her hand with his own.

She felt it then, the magic in him. Shape shifter. Dormant. _Is he a descendant of Isla Black? Only time will tell. The least I can say is that this just might be the start of a good friendship._ Harriet smiled, "Please, call me Harry."

* * *

 _The First day of school_

 _Location: Forks High School_

Facing her glamoured reflection in the mirror, Harriet readied herself for the day ahead. Finding the school wasn't difficult, though she'd never been there before. The school was, like most other things in this town, just off the highway. It was not obvious that it was a school; only the sign, which declared it to be the 'Forks High School', made her stop. It looked like a collection of matching houses, built with maroon-colored bricks.

Harriet parked her second hand Suzuki sedan in front of the first building, which had a small sign over the door reading 'Front Office'. She stepped onto the little stone path lined with dark hedges. Inside, was a brightly lit office. There were three desks behind the central counter, one of which was manned by a large, red-haired woman wearing glasses.

The red-haired woman looked up. "Can I help you?"

"I'm Harriet Black," Harry informed her. "I'm here for my schedule."

"Of course, let me check," she said. "Found it! I have your schedule right here, and a map of the school." She brought several sheets to the counter.

She went through the classes, highlighting the best route to each on the map, and gave Harry a slip to have each teacher sign, which was to be bought back at the end of the day. Harry thanked her for her assistance.

When she went back out to her car, other students were starting to arrive. She drove around the school, following the line of traffic, glad to see that most of the cars were old like hers. She'd deliberately chosen to buy the second hand vehicle in order to gain less attention from her peers.

Once she got around to the cafeteria, building three was easy to spot. A large black "3" was painted on a white square on the east corner. The classroom itself was small. The people in front of her stopped just inside the door to hang up their coats on a long row of hooks. Harry copied them.

Harriet took the slip up to the teacher, a tall, balding man whose desk had a nameplate identifying him as Mr. Mason. He assigned her an empty desk at the back. The reading list provided by the teacher was fairly basic: Bronte, Shakespeare, Chaucer, Faulkner. _Hmm… seems like I won't be facing any challenges in this class._ The ensuing hours flew by similarly and before she knew it, it was Lunch time.

When the bell rang, a nasal buzzing sound, signaling the start of the break; a gangly boy with skin problems and hair black as an oil slick leaned across the aisle to talk to her.

"Hey! I'm Eric, you're new here right?" He asked, trying to be helpful.

"Harriet Black, please call me Harry." I smiled. Everyone within a three-seat radius turned to look at them. They left the class in semi-awkward silence, and walked to the cafeteria.

A tiny girl, several inches shorter than Harry's five feet six inches, introduced herself as Angela. Harriet recollected that she had shared two classes with her already. Angela seemed to be a quiet and calm girl. _It would be easy to be in her company._

Angela proceeded to introduce her friends: a bubbly brunette named Jessica, a blond jock with blue eyes named Mike and of course Eric. "Wow, so many new students this year!" exclaimed Jessica. "You're lucky, Harry. You're not the only newbie this year. Apparently, Dr. Cullen, who recently started working at the Forks Hospital, has also enrolled his children. I had a class with one of them. Haven't seen them all yet, though!"

That's when they saw them enter the cafe. They didn't look anything alike. Of the three boys, one was big - muscled like a serious weight lifter, with dark, curly hair. Another was taller, leaner, but still muscular, and honey blond. The last was lanky, less bulky, with untidy, bronze-colored hair.

The girls were opposites. The tall one was statuesque. She had a beautiful figure with golden hair that reached the middle of her back. The short girl was pixie like, thin in the extreme, with small features. Her hair was a deep black, cropped short and pointing in every direction.

And yet, they were all exactly alike. Every one of them was chalky pale, the palest of all the students living in this sunless town. They all had very dark eyes despite the range in hair tones. They also had dark shadows under those eyes - purplish, bruise like shadows. _As if they are all suffering from a sleepless night, or almost done recovering from a broken nose._ Though their noses, all their features, were straight, perfect, angular. In fact, each of them was devastatingly beautiful. Their faces almost unnaturally angelic.

And just like that, it all clicked to Harriet. _What? How is that possible? Vampires enrolled at a muggle high school? How are they controlling their urges? Didn't Jessica say their father (I'm guessing their creator) was a doctor!? Is that even possible? Impossible... that dreaded word flashed in her mind. And yet, it was the only word her brain could come up with. Do they know I'm here? Are they magical or muggle? Are they gifted?_

A hundred questions buzzed through her head as she gasped. This seemed to gain their attention though, as they all turned to look in her direction.

 _Uh-oh, I'm in trouble._


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Finally! The Cullens come into picture. You may have already figured this out, but just for the sake of clarification: Yes, the timeline is one year prior to Bella's arrival. This chapter is short in comparison to the first two. I'd like to hear your opinion on the story so far. So Please, read and review! Your opinion is precious to me!_

 _Ohh! And character thoughts are denoted in italics!_

 **Chapter 3**

Dull grey-green eyes met gold as Harriet felt a gentle probe at her occlumency shields. Thinking quickly, Harriet adopted a slightly dazed look on her face. She carefully placed superficial thoughts about beauty and attraction just outside her shield. Her plan seemed to work, as the bronze haired boy quickly turned to assess the other members of her group.

 _A telepath! That was a close call. Thank you Moody, for teaching me the importance of keeping my shields up 24 x 7. I'll have to be more careful now. Muggles may be easy to fool, but other supernatural creatures may prove to be a challenge. Especially at a time like this, when my magic is not fully functional. I must get back to practicing spells._

"Oh Wow!" giggled Jessica, snapping Harriet out of her thoughts. "Oh wow indeed" agreed Angela, though she looked a bit skeptical. "They don't look related though" she continued. "They're not, my mom told me that Dr. and Mrs. Cullen adopted them all. They're a pretty young couple themselves." explained Jessica, happy to be at the center of attention.

"They're lucky to have such a caring family," Harriet murmured, though she wasn't quiet enough as Angela looked questioningly at her. "I was an orphan," she explained silently and understanding dawned in the eyes of her classmates. "So! What lectures do you have next?" Harry asked to break the awkward tension that followed her revelation. It seemed to work, as they all enthusiastically launched into trivial discussions about classes, lectures and teachers.

 _Be unremarkable Harry! Don't draw attention to yourself!_

The rest of the day passes smoothly. Angela and Harriet exchanged phone numbers by the end of the day and Angela promised to help her with any topics she may find new or advanced. Though the subjects seemed pretty straight forward to her, Harry thanked Angela as she left for the front office to submit the slip.

* * *

 _Location: Marauder's Den, Forks (Harry's house)_

"Wingardium Leviosa"

Harry grit her teeth as the feather quill on the desk exploded in pieces. _Looks like I'm still channeling too much magic from my core. Maybe if I could somehow control the amount of magic streaming out of my core… hmm…_

Harry closed her eyes as she tried to picture her core. She tried to imagine the pulsing flow of magic through her body. And there! She could feel the faint pulse of magic near her heart. She kept a hold of the feeling, trying to concentrate on that steady pulse, as she let the world around her fade away. The more she concentrated the more easily she could pinpoint the flow of these energy pulses. She could picture it now, the magic inside of her. It was rolling around in her body like a roaring flame or a turbulent cyclone.

It was difficult for her to direct this chaotic flow. It was as if the magic inside her had a mind of its own. She rested her hands on her lap, palm up, from where she sat cross legged on the mat in her living room. She pictured those dark green waves as she felt them flowing through her. Taking a deep breath, she pictured all the magic flowing back into her core. _It's working!_ Harriet felt a bead of sweat flowing down her neck. Slowing the magic was pulled back inside her magical core. _Now, I want a small trickle of magic to flow into my arm._ She pictured a tiny stream of magic leaving her core to pool onto her palm. "Wingardium Leviosa" she murmured again. She directed the stream in her palm towards the feather quill lying in front of her. _And yes! It's working._ She observed triumphantly as the feather lifted from the ground slowly but steadily. In excitement, she lost hold of her magical core and the sudden flood of excess magic again caused the quill to burst into pieces again.

Harriet sighed. _Damn! And just when I thought I could control it. But this is definitely an improvement from last week._ She felt exhausted, not physically but mentally. _Time for my evening stroll. The beach never fails to calm me._ _I'll need to shower first though.._ Harriet thought as she gazed at her sweat drenched t-shirt.

* * *

 _One hour later..._

And that is how, an hour later Harry found herself strolling through the La Push Beach, watching the sky grow red with the approaching sunset. "Harry!" yelled a familiar voice from behind her. Harry turned to see four boys approaching her. "Hey Jacob," she smiled. "Harry, these are my friends. This is Seth." He introduced the seemingly youngest boy with twinkling eyes. The boy grinned at her. "This is Paul" he gestured to the guy immediately to his right. "And this is Sam!" Glamoured grey green eyes turned to the last person in the group. Sam seemed to be the oldest among the three. He looked almost tensed about something, though. Nonetheless, he still smiled at Harry and offered her a handshake. "Nice to meet you all," Harry greeted with a small smile of her own.

"So this is the girl you met that day. The one with ' _that amazing accent_ '. The one you couldn't stop talking about! The one straight out of your dre-" A blushing Jacob had pressed a hand tightly against Seth's face, to prevent him from talking further. "Ignore him Harry. He sometimes suffers from some form of delusions." Said Jacob. Seth grinned behind the large hand covering his mouth, "Ohh! Mphh muu mphh… aammm… ammmm.. mph". "Like I said, he is delusional", continued Jacob; ignoring the struggling boy before him.

But, this seemed to be the end of Harry's restraint, as she burst out into peels of laughter. The melodious sound seemed to echo on the beach as grey green eyes filled with mirthful tears. "So, what are you guys up to?" She asked, once she'd regained the control of her breath, to save Jacob from further humiliation. And then, listened attentively as Jacob launched into an animated explanation about cars and hang-out spots.

 _Like I said, La Push never fails to calm me. Thank you for bringing these happy moments in my life, Jacob._


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: This is NOT a Harry/Jacob fic. Sorry. I know you guys want more interaction between Harry and Edward, but the build will be slow. I have some premises to set up before I allow that relationship to grow. Also, No one from Forks has seen Harriet in her true form yet. I hope that was clear. Other than that, please read and review! I appreciate all the support I'm receiving from you guys!_

 **Chapter 4**

 _More than a month later…_

 _Location: Marauder's Den_

Harry settles into this comfortable daily routine. Wake up; Get to School; Avoid being getting special attention from anyone at school; Get back home and practice magic; Go to the beach to hang out and then, retire for the day.

School was easy. Though Harriet made sure to keep her grades average, the concepts and assignments hardly seemed to cause her any trouble. The novelty of being the new student had gradually faded as people of Forks went back to their daily routine. Angela seemed to grow closer to Harriet. She'd invited her for lunch at her place this Saturday.

The La Push guys had grown more comfortable around her as well. They welcomed her in their group, going so far as to call her the one day she failed to show up at the beach. Harry would also like to think that Jacob was finally moving on from his mini-crush on her. Recollecting all those moments he had embarrassed himself in front of her because of his silly little crush still bought an amused smile on her face.

The Cullens. Well, so far the Cullens seemed content to keep to themselves. Harry'd yet to witness any news about 'strange animal attacks'. So it was clear that they weren't feeding at Forks or any place near-by. With a population this small, people would definitely know if someone goes missing or a series of animal attacks start happening randomly. This though raised many questions in her head – _How were they feeding? How can they control their urges when surrounded by so many people? Why did they choose to live at a place where feeding on humans will prove challenging? Surely they'd have been better off living in a city, where human disappearances are less likely to be noticed! And why are their eyes Gold? They're non magical and cannot wear contacts for extended period of time… Hopefully, Hermione will provide me with an answer to that last query in her weekly letter. I'd have liked to search the answers to these on my own, but unfortunately, I lack the time required for these endeavors._

Meanwhile her control on her magic had steadily improved. She could now cast simple spells like _lumos and wingardium leviosa_ without over exerting herself. Tomorrow, she's driving to the local supermarket to buy the monthly groceries and then she's going to visit Angela's place for lunch.

For now though, Morpheus beckoned her as she fell into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

 _Next Morning_

Early morning as Harry woke up she was pleasantly surprised by the sunlight streaming through her window. She completed her daily routine and made a list of all the groceries she had to buy. Checking that her glamours were in place; she left her house after making sure she had the keys with herself. The day was bright, hopefully the weather will continue to remain sunny.

Just as Harriet was driving on the highway, her car gave a sudden lurch and came to a halt after giving a few knocks. _Of course! Something had to go wrong, didn't it? I really should have invested more in buying a decent car. It's not like the funds are an issue. I just need something average. Hmm.. I should ask Jacob for his opinion. Jacob!... Well, I'm not that far from the beach.. maybe if Jacob is free.. He could pick me up._ She pulled out her phone and made a quick call to Jacob, relieved when he reassured her that he'll be there in 15 minutes.

Just as she was waiting besides her car, a police car stopped in front of her. She'd heard about Officer Charlie Swan. In a town like Forks, people tend to know everyone by name once they live here for a while. Though, she'd never officially met him. _Seems like today's the day._

"Hello miss, You seem to be facing some problem with your car. Would you like to have a lift? I'm Officer Charlie Swan." He said.

"I'm Harriet Black. Thank you for the offer Chief Swan; though my friend is on his way right now to pick me up. He knows a thing or two about cars, hopefully he'll be able to fix whatever is wrong with mine." Harry said with a smile.

And just on time, she watched as a jeep stopped just behind her car. Even before the jeep was fully turned off, Jacob jumped out of it and jogged to her side. "Hey Harry!" he said with his impish grin, which turned less teasing as he saw the company she had. "Oh! Hello Charlie, nice to see you here. Dad hopes you're available tomorrow. He plans to call you around for fishing."

"I'll better let him know I'm free then. See you later then Miss Black, Jacob." He waved as he got back into his car and drove away. "So!" exclaimed Jacob, startling her as she turned around to face him. "How about we check what's wrong with your car first. We can tow it to the garage if it cannot be fixed here."

Harry sighed, "Thank you for doing this Jacob. Let me just call Angela to let her know that I wouldn't make it to her place."

* * *

 _Next Day_

 _Location: Marauder's Den_

The Floo network blazed to life as it shot out a letter addressed to Harry.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _Good to know that you've settled nicely. Everyone here is fine. Ron thanks you for your wishes. He was extremely nervous about this auror training test until he got your letter. You always know the right words to say. Andy sends her regards and Teddy says he misses you terribly._

 _I am fine. There are a few things that I wish to convey, however,_

 _On further research of the Black family journals, I found out that Isla Black was shunned by her family as she conceived a child prior to marriage. Not only that, the strong woman refused to abort said child which was ultimately the reason she was banished. The archives mention that she gave birth to a son, but unfortunately I was unable to gain further information on the topic._

 _I think the Cullens have gold eyes due to their unconventional dietary habits. I believe these vampires survive on the blood of animals instead of the traditional human blood consumed by the vast majority of their species._

 _The Daily Prophet seems to have calmed down. You, of course, remember the chaos caused due to your disappearance. It's good news that the wizarding world is finally accepting the choices you make for your life. *Insert eye roll*_

 _The Minister has invited us (meaning you, me and Ron) to a private dinner so as to discuss some international issues. Your invitation won't reach you due to the protection runes we embedded into your glamour rune. I have taken the liberty to present the necessary excuses on your behalf. Ron and I will be attending, though, and we'll let you know if it is something important._

 _Finally, I wish to know about your progress. How far along are you? Let me know. Healer Wesley has sent me a list of helpful exercises that you must start doing now. I will attach the list with this letter. Other than that, I just hope you're well. Be safe._

 _Lots of Love,_

 _Hermione._

Harry scanned through the letter and gathered her thoughts around. _Seems like you and I might be related, Jacob._


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Thank you for those amazing reviews, Guys! Enjoy!_

 **Chapter 5**

"Hello?"

"Hey Jacob, Harry here." Harry says as she hears a weird thump followed by a crash.

"Harry! Tell me, what can I do for you?"

"Well I was trying this new muffin recipe and ended up making a lot more than I had initially planned. So I was hoping you and the boys are free sometime during the day .. so that you'll can help me finish these, you know… I promise they're edible," said Harry.

"Of course! Of course! Come along. How does Four O'clock sound to you?"

"Four is perfect! See you!" Harry grinned.

"Yeah! Good bye!"

* * *

 _Later that day_

 _Location: Quileute Tribe – Black Residence_

Grey green eyes peered at the modest cottage in front of her. Hefting her sack higher on her shoulder, Harry walked down the gravelly path to stand in front of an old oak door. Smiling Harry lifted her hand to knock when the door opened suddenly.

"Come in, Harry. We were just waiting for you. Everyone else is already here." said Jacob, as he swept his hands in a broad welcoming gesture.

"Hey guys!" greeted Harry, as she looked at the gang. "Where's Sam?" she asked when she didn't see him.

"Umm.. Sam's not feeling well harry. So he won't be joining us today. Don't worry Leah and Seth's mother are there with him at his house. They're doing all they can to keep his fever down." explained Paul.

"Why don't you take him to the hospital?" Harry asked, confused.

The guys exchanged some awkward glances before Jacob cleared his throat "Well, we have a traditional pact with a family at Forks. We don't talk about it much. Just… well… they keep to their land and we keep to ours. It's complicated. I don't exactly know how to explain it to you –"

"It's alright, Jacob. No need to explain anything." Harry interrupted. _So, this isn't the first time the Cullens have been to Forks if they have a standing pact with the resident shape shifter tribe. Interesting._ "Where's Billy then? I baked these black forest muffins especially for him!" she continued to dispel the awkwardness.

Jacob grinned, "The old man's having his afternoon nap. He'll come around soon enough."

"Meanwhile, give me those black forest muffins!" said Embry with an impish smile.

Harry gave an answering grin as she tossed her bag to the wolves. (A/N: couldn't resist :P) Just as they were getting settled around the couches, a tensed Leah burst through the door. "Where's Billy!? Billy!" she yelled. "What happened, Leah?", Jacob asked worried. "It's Sam" she said "He needs help."

Jacob nodded, "You go ahead, I'll get dad to Sam's place as soon as I can." Leah cast one last desperate glance towards Billy's room, "Hurry!" she said as she turned around and left. Jacob went inside to help his father, as Harry and the rest of the gang hurried to follow Leah.

On reaching Sam's cottage, they could all hear the terrible gut wrenching screams that came from within. They entered the house at once, soon followed by Billy who scolded them to get out of his way.

"It has begun" said Seth's mother, Sue. Billy took one look at Sam's sweat drenched face and grimly nodded in agreement. He turned towards them and said, "I want you all outside. Right now! Even you, Leah" "Do not argue with me about this!" he continued before they could complete their protests.

Harry's mind was buzzing with thoughts, as the group left the cottage. She could sense the magic around the house. _It would seem Sam has activated his dormant spirit animal. This is unfortunate. I don't believe they know the challenges they're about to face. And I cannot bear to leave these guys alone in this chaos. No, I must do all that I can, to help them._

Just as she finished this thought the front door blasted out, off its hinges; a sweating Sam emerged from behind. Sam fell to his knees in front of the cottage, his agonized screams sounding more and more like the howls of an anguished wolf. Harry sensed the guardian magic rise around Sam. It kept on rising and rising; until it reached its crescendo and then, suddenly, the magic blasted from its source in an explosive wave; causing ripples of magic to spread throughout the surrounding area. Once the magical backlash settled, Harriet could see that the shifting was complete. A huge Black wolf stood in place of her dear friend. The wolf whimpered, as though in pain and closed his eyes. He lowered himself to the ground and pressed his paws against his ears.

Everyone around them was in a state of shock, though Harry understood. She discreetly cast a silencing charm around Sam to give him time to adjust to his senses. But, it would seem that, Sam could detect magic in this form. As soon as the spell took effect, Sam's attention snapped towards Harry. No one dared to utter a sound. Billy and Sue appeared in the doorway, though unlike the others, their faces just held grim understanding. Slowly Sam rose to his feet, no longer overwhelmed by his senses, and strode purposefully towards Harry. This seemed to snap Jacob out of his stupor, as he too started towards her.

But, Harry shook her head and indicated Jacob to stay put. She looked back into Sam's eyes, which were nearly on level with hers once he stood to his full height. Sam reached Harry and narrowed his eyes. A low warning growl echoed from within his belly. _He sees me as an outsider!_ concluded Harry, _He's trying to protect his family from me._ Harry raised her palms in the universal form of surrender but did not leave the wolf's gaze. A few tense moments passed as neither of them moved from their position. Everyone else was just as silent. Observing everything but not comprehending.

Slowly, but surely, Sam lowered his gaze. Harry took this as a sign to continue. She bought one hand in front of her as Sam sniffed at it. "It's alright, Sam. Everything is going to be fine," she soothed in a soft melodious voice. Harry moved her hand to caress the soft black fur at the base of Sam's neck. "I want you to do something for me," she continued; "Can you lie down, Sam? Can you do this for me? It's okay, you're safe. Your pack is safe, Sam. I'll keep them safe. They're under my protection. I won't let anything harm them. Lie down on the ground, Sam." _I have to guide him to shift back._

Slowly, Sam lowered himself to the ground. His gaze, yet again, caught by the dull grey green. Harry registered someone's gasp in the back of her mind. _They must be confused. They cannot hear us, so they do not know what is happening between us._ "That's it! Great! Now I want you to think about your pack, Sam. Think about your family. They're safe, Sam. I promise you. I'll keep them safe." She repeated. Sam uttered a low moan followed by a small whimper. He tiredly closed his eyes, satisfied, now that he knew his family was safe. And then, just as suddenly as it had occurred, the wolf disappeared from their view as the human Sam replaced his body.

It was deathly silent all around them. "I think he should be taken inside. He needs some rest." Harriet said, calmly. That seemed to snap everyone out of their daze. In a flurry of motion, Embry and Quil helped Sue to get Sam inside the cottage. Jacob reached her, his worried eyes searching for injuries on his friend that he knew he won't find. "What was that, Harry!? What happened?" asked Jacob.

"I'll explain everything Jake. Let's just make sure Sam is fine and then I will answer all your questions. I promise." said Harry.

 _After all, even I need some time to gather my thoughts._


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Okay, time to clarify a few things. Harry is NOT Bella, obviously. I'm not trying to make them same. In fact, Bella will be a part of this story in a few chapters. The only reason Harry has changed her looks is because she is hiding till she gains back control over her magic. Her looks are too distinctive and will be easily recognized by anyone of the magical community. She cannot afford to gather too much attention. But come on, guys, it's Harry, how long do you think she can keep up this charade?_

 _Also HP characters won't come much into play until the later chapters. And hey! Just a fair warning, I love clichés and I also love to twist them to my benefit. Other than that, I'd like to thank all those who have reviewed my story to show me support. Kudos to you guys._

 **Chapter 6**

" _I'll explain everything Jacob. Let's just make sure Sam is fine and then I will answer all your questions. I promise." said Harry._

 _A few hours later.._

 _Location: Quileute Tribe – Camp Ground_

"Before you guys start asking your questions, I think it'd be best if I start by explaining some things first." Harry said from where she sat in front of the tribe. She'd asked Jacob to gather everyone at one place so that she can explain all things once and for all.

"Before I start though, I would like the tribe leader's to promise me that whatever is about to be revealed now, will never be uttered to a person outside the tribe without my explicit permission," said Harry, "It's not that I don't trust you all. This promise is just as much for your protection as it is for mine. So, Please…"

"As the direct descendant of Chief Ephriam Black, I promise you that whatever you reveal to us now will be kept as a secret between us; And no one of the tribe will repeat your words without your permission." said Billy, from his place opposite to her.

Harry used her magic to bind them to this oath. It winded her, the use of this simple magic. But being around the spiritual presence seemed to have a greater impact on her magic than she'd previously anticipated. She found that she could recover fully from this minor exhaustion with a few deep breaths.

"Thank you, Billy" she said "First of all, as you can already tell, I knew about the supernatural world; have known about it since my birth. And I knew you had shape shifter blood in you the first time I met you, Jake." Harry turned to look at Jacob, who stared back at her with a thousand emotions swirling behind his dark chocolate eyes.

"Your ancestor, Billy, was Ephriam Black, son of Isla Black? Correct?" Billy nodded his head in affirmation. "Well I'm a descendant of Isla Black's brother. His name was Phineus Nigellus Black. No, I'm not a shape shifter myself. I'm a witch," claimed Harry.

"Prove it!" said Seth. Harry sighed, she cast a basic 'wingardium leviosa' on his chair to lift him a few inches off the ground. "Calm down everyone!" yelled Sue; in an attempt to contain the ensuing chaos. "Witches and Wizards are a lot like Shape Shifters. We use the magic from our magical core, while shifters use the spiritual energy around them to transform into their desired form. That's how I knew what you were, Jacob. This place is filled with the spiritual energy of your Guardian Spirit. It would seem that the return of your enemies called to your blood. If I were to guess, Sam was just the start. Once the dormant magic inside you all starts to rise, I'm afraid we'll soon be facing a pack a transformed shifters with no idea about their magic and powers."

"What happened out there, with Sam?" asked Paul, "At first he looked like he was about to attack you. How did you calm him down?" "Sam's wolf recognizes you all as his family. His pack. To him, I was an outsider, threatening the safety of his Pack. I reassured him that I will not harm his pack and he calmed down," said Harry, giving the pack an edited version of the entire story. "Rest assured that Sam will be fine now. He will be able to gain better control over his shifting with time and practice. I will, of course, be glad to help you in any way I can."

"Thank you, Harry. I think we'd like to have some time to collect our thoughts. Your help is really appreciated," said Billy, as he dismissed the others to their respective houses.

Harry caught Jacob's eyes as he turned to leave towards his garage. She nodded her head in understanding and stood up to follow.

* * *

 _Location: Quileute Tribe – Jacob's Garage_

Once at the garage, they stood facing each other. "You lied to me, Harry," said Jacob, hurt. "Let me just stop you right there, Jacob. Though you had dormant shifter blood in you, you were still by law a mu.. a non magical person. We have rules, Jacob. Rules we cannot ignore. And the biggest of them all is the statue of secrecy. A magical person cannot reveal their identity to a non magical being without permission from required authorities. Today, when Sam transformed, he changed the status of your tribe in the eyes of our Law. You are no longer considered a mu.. a non magical entity. And I promise to answer all your questions honestly from now on. You may ask me anything you wish to know."

Jacob was relieved; he thought he'd lose a dear friend today. He couldn't bear the thought of losing Harry's friendship. "Okay then twenty questions it is.." he said with a small smile.

Harry smiled in return, "Shoot"

"What's your name?"

"My name really is Harriet Black. But if you want my full name it's Harriet Lilly Potter Black Gryffindor Peverell. I know, it's a mouthful."

"Why did you come to Forks?"

"Getting straight down to business, eh? I came here to heal. Our world suffered from a terrible battle and my magical core was damaged during it. The spiritual Energy of this place will help me regain the control over my magic."

"Wait, but you just performed that chair lifting.. umm.. thing back there!"

"That was just an elementary spell. I have regained enough control over my magic to be able to perform elementary spells."

"Why did you ask dad to promise you as a tribe leader?"

"As the tribe leader he and his tribe is magically bound to keep this secret. There are some dangerous wizards after me. This magic will protect your tribe from harm."

"I don't understand."

"Wizards can perform an art called as Legilimency. It allows the caster to read the minds of the victim. The opposite branch of magic is Occulemency. This means shielding one's mind. An Occulemens can shield their mind to protect it against Legilimency. Unfortunately, only a few muggles can successfully create Occulemency shields. And then too, because they're born with this talent. We call them natural Occulemens. So in order to protect your tribe from such attacks, I bound you to a magical oath. Now, magic itself will guard this secret in your minds."

Jacob sighed and closed the distance between them before engulfing Harry in a hug. "Thank you, Harry. I know that was difficult for you to admit. I feel honored by your trust." Harry smiled and returned the hug, "You're my first friend in this otherwise lonely place, Jake. Of course I trust you."

Jacob smiled and grinned at her, "Well now that I have my very own fairy god mother. I know all will be well! Oh please fairy god mother! Show me your magical wand!"

Harry laughed. Handing him her wand, she said in a teasingly high voice, "Anything for you my dear Jacobella. Here, have at it."

"Wait! You really have a wand!? But you didn't use it back then with the flying chair!"

"I can perform some simple magic without my wand. But the majority of us prefer to use it. Wand gives us a way to focus our magic. You know, channel it from our magical core."

"At least it doesn't have a star at the end."

"Why, Jacob !? I never knew you were so familiar with Disney fairy tales! I must get to know this side of you immediately."

Jacob blushed, "Oh Shut up! I still can't believe you're a freaking wand waving, spell casting witch! The next thing I know, is you'll be saying you travel on broom sticks and have green skin!" he laughed.

Harry smiled mischievously. "Not green per say. And we don't travel by broom sticks all the time! Though I must accept, Jacob, broom sticks are my favorite means of magical travel."

Jacob looked at her in shock, "I don't even know if you're serious or joking!"

Harry took a deep breath, "I did say I'll answer all your questions, didn't I?" She carefully retrieved her wand back from Jacob and pressed it to her glamour rune.

Jacob saw it happen, right in front of him. Yet, his conscious mind tried to deny it's possibility. He saw as Harry transformed in front of him; saw her Brown hair lengthen and turn jet black; her features sharpened and gained a pale white glow; her previously dull grey green eyes came to life with emerald fire. Yes, Jacob saw his friend literally transform into a Greek Goddess; and yet seemed to have trouble comprehending it. And then, he saw something else. He doubt and fear creep into those emerald pools. He saw worry crinkle the smooth skin on her forehead. He opened his mouth to reassure her, say something to sooth this angel. But his mouth seemed too dry. Swallowing, he tried a second time, "I hope you don't have wings" he squeaked.

And just like that, the worry vanished from those angelic features only to be replaced by relieved amusement. Harry smiled and shook her head, both in response to his question and in laughter. "Seriously though, I'll never get over the fact that you wave around magical wands while riding on broom sticks!" exclaimed Jacob.

Harry exhaled the breath she didn't know she was holding in. _Everything is fine. Thank you, Jake, for understanding. I guess I'll have to show my true form to Sam as well, after all, I'm his protector now._

* * *

 _A/N: I'm uploaded this chapter early as I wouldn't be able to upload tomorrow. So… Hope you guys enjoyed! XD_


	7. Chapter 7

_Thank you for all those reviews! There will be a time jump in this chapter, guys! Oh! And just a heads up, the Cullens will come into play from the next chapter! ;)  
_

 **Chapter 7**

 _Time Jump_

Things seemed to go back to normal then. The Quileutes, Sam especially, regarded Harry with high respect. Jacob treated every word that fell out of her mouth as gospel; though, strangely enough, he seemed to have fully recovered from his crush after that day at the garage. Billy and Sue, along with the other tribe leaders, seemed relieved that they had a friend like Harry to guide them through these troubling times. Fortunately, Sam's shifting seemed to be an exception, as no other tribe member suffered from any further triggering.

School was, as usual, pretty easy. The Cullens had successfully secluded themselves from the general populace. Harry was especially careful not to interact with them. She knew she had to regain her strength before she could risk that kind of exposure. And though the Cullens kept to themselves, their each and every move seemed to make headlines in the Forks gossip column. _It's a miracle no one has picked up on their eating habits or lack thereof._

Months flew by in a haze as Harry continued to gain better control over her magic. Though high powered spells were still off-limits to her, she could perform daily spells and charms with ease. Harry breezed through her finals; happy that she'd have the much needed summer vacation. She had a good month and a half long break before she had to join back for her junior year.

* * *

 _Two days after Harry's final exam_

 _Location: Marauder's Den_

Harry buzzed around her living room, humming under her breath as she used an old rag to wipe off every speck of dust she could encounter. Her vacations weren't as relaxing as she'd hoped. She'd been restless for the past few days. At first she attributed the anxiety to her ongoing exams, but now, she was forced to admit it was something else that was bothering her. This cleaning, was an old habit she'd picked up when she used to live with the Dursleys. Then, cleaning was the only reprieve she had from them. To this day, this simple act continued to calm her. It was a mundane task that she could focus on, as she pushed all her worries to the back of her mind.

Today, she'd been especially tense. _This is not working!_ Harry thought with a sigh. _Hmm… maybe I should go out for a bit… buy some groceries.._ Harry headed for the bedroom to get her wallet and reapply her glamour. Just as she'd reached her bedroom door, she heard the floo connection flame up. Harry frowned, _who would be calling me now? Hermione's at Hogwarts. Ron's been pretty busy. And no one else has my floo address. Except for Andy! Has something happened to Teddy!?_ A hundred scenarios buzzed through her mind, each more dreading than the last. Harry hurried back to the living room.

"Harry!" came Hermione's voice. Her voice had a tone of urgency that Harry recognized almost too well. It made her insides grow cold.

Immediately on alert, Harry replied in a clipped voice, "What is it, Mione? What happenend?"

"It's Andy, Harry. There's been… an accident."

"Is she okay?" asked Harry, though even as she asked this question, she knew something was wrong.

"No. It's serious. Come soon, Harry," came the grave reply.

"I'll be there," Harry promised.

As soon as the call ended, Harry gathered some floo powder and pushed it into the hearth.

"Madam President, there's an Emergency."

"Lady Potter, how may I help you?" asked Allison Price, the Magical President of United States.

"I require an International portkey to London. I know this request comes on a short notice, but-"

"It'll be done, Lady Potter. The portkey will reach your floo within a minute. Please stay connected."

"Thank you, Mam"

"You're welcome, Lady Potter. I am happy to have this opportunity in assisting you. Ah Yes.. the portkey is ready. I'll be sending it through now."

"Got it! Thank you so much, Mam." Harry said, as soon as she'd received the portkey.

"Good Luck with your endeavors, Lady Potter," wished the President, as she ended the Floo call.

 _Sometimes… it paid to remain well connected…_

* * *

 _A few minutes later…_

 _Location: St. Mungo's Hospital_

Harry strode through the corridor with a purpose. She stopped when she spotted the desired room, where she entered after a knock. A gravely injured Andy lay on the bed, unconscious, with a grim faced Ron standing by her side as Hermione sobbed into his shoulder. Harry rushed to her bedside, "What happened, healer? What's wrong?" "Mrs. Black had a nearly fatal accident in Diagon Alley, Lady Potter. She along with four other patrons, were gravely injured during an armed heist at the Potions store. The robbers were after a few rare potion ingredients. Mrs. Black threatened to get the robbers arrested. The ensuing fight terminated quickly as a stray spell caused a part of the ceiling to collapse. Mrs. Black was unfortunately standing exactly below said part. I'm sorry, my Lady. She passed away, a few minutes ago. We tried all we could, but she had already lost huge amount of blood and her core was severely depleted."

Harry shook her head in denial, even as she noticed the unnatural stillness of Andy's chest. _She isn't breathing. Merlin, this can't be true. What can I do? There's… there's NOTHING I can do! No… No.. No.._ Harry gasped and looked at Ron and Hermione, "Teddy! Where's Teddy? Is he okay?" "Teddy is fine, Harry. He's with my mum." Just as Ron finished his sentence, the door barged open as a red-eyed Narcissa Malfoy entered the room. Her hand flew to her mouth as soon as she took in the scene in front of her. Harry glanced away, it was too much, she could not witness another family member with that helplessness on their faces.

Harry squared her shoulder and turned towards Lady Malfoy, "I grieve with you," she spoke the traditional condolences, softly. Narcissa's shoulders shook with grief as tears ran down her face. She nodded absently, in acknowledgement to Harry's words.

"I must go to see Teddy," Harry declared. "Your face," Ron reminded her. _What? I had my glamours down, right?… what does he mean to say?_ Harry raised her fingers to her face, frowning in confusion as she encountered some wetness. _I'm crying_ , she realized, stunned. _I haven't cried since… forever…._ Harry nodded her head at Ron, as she cast a small glamour spell to remove the evidences of her grief. She left the room with a new purpose. Gathering the floo powder at the Mungo's common floo area, she left with a flash and a nearly silent "The Burrow."

* * *

 _Location: The Burrow_

"Harry!" She felt a small smile grace her lips as she hefted her excited godson on her hips. Her heart instantly felt lighter as she hugged him to her chest.

"Hello Teddy. How're you, love?"

Teddy frowned and pushed away from her neck. His emerald green eyes gazed into an identical pair. His hair turning brown. "Why are you sad, Harry? Have I been bad?" he asked, fearfully. Sometimes Harry wondered when her three and a half year old godson got to be so perceptive. _Or perhaps, he knows me well._ "No, Teddy. I'm not sad. It's just that… Well… I missed you Teddy. I'm so happy to see that you're safe," she said, with a kiss on his forehead.

Teddy giggled. His hair switched to a pink which then immediately turned jet black. "I was good this year, Harry. Grandma promised to buy me a "kiddie firebolt" on my birthday, if I was good. You can ask her, Harry! Even Mrs. Weasley said I was a good boy!"

Harry gave him a small smile, as tears pooled in the corner of her eyes. Teddy frowned, "What's wrong, Harry? Do you have a boo boo? I can kiss it for you!" he offered, tearfully.

Mrs. Weasley cleared her throat. "Come here, Teddy. Let Harry have a seat," she said. Coming forward, she gathered Teddy from Harry's arms and put him on the ground. She then turned to Harry and gave her a motherly hug. "Not one more, Molly," Harry whispered into Molly's shoulder. "It's the way of life Harry," Molly replied, as she soother her.

 _She's right. I've to be strong. For Teddy. I'm all he has now._

* * *

 _A few hours later.._

 _Location: The Burrow_

"The funeral is tomorrow," said Mr. Weasley. "I will handle everything else, Harry. It's just that, maybe you should talk to Teddy. He needs to know."

Harry nodded, grimly and turned towards the staircase. Reaching the bedroom, she opened it to see Teddy sprawled on the mat. He had a crayon in his hand, and was coloring a picture on his sketch book. His hair was purple. Harry sat down beside him, cross-legged. "What are you coloring? May I have a look?" she asked. Teddy sat up straight and passed his book to her. "It's a hippogif." "A hippogriff", she corrected absently, as she glanced at his book. "It's very pretty, Teddy. Nicely done," she said, and looked up to see tears running down his cherub face.

"What happened? What's wrong, love?" she asked, alarmed. Teddy sniffled and buried his face into Harry's stomach. "Don't leave me, Harry. I'm scared," he mumbled into her t-shirt. "I won't leave you. You know I won't," she repeated, to calm him.

"Where is Grandma? Why did she not come home? I wan't to go home!"

"Grandma… Well, Grandma went to the special garden, Teddy. She's with your mom and dad now."

"Nooo!" Teddy started crying, "Why did she leave me! She promised, Harry… Call her back, Harry. Please! Please! I don't want the broom! I don't want any gift! Plea.. *hiccup* Harry. I want her! I want Grandma! Take me to her, Harry. Please!"

"I'm sorry, Teddy. We can't go there. You remember, when we told you, why your mom and dad cannot come back. She's with them now. She told me to tell you that she loves you very much. And that she'll be watching over you. Just like your mom and dad."

Teddy started sobbing. Pushing his face deeper into Harry's stomach. "Whyy does everyone leave me? Please, don't leave me, Harry. Please. Please. Please. Please.."

"Shh…" Harry soothed, rubbing her hand up and down his back. "I'm here, my love. I won't leave you. I promise."

 _I'll do my best, Teddy. I won't leave you alone. No matter what. I promise._


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

 _One week later…_

 _Location: Heathrow Airport London_

"Message me when you reach, Harry. Take good care of yourself. You too, Teddy."

"Thanks Hermione; we must leave now, or we'll miss the flight. Say goodbye, Teddy."

"Goodbye, Mione, Ron." Teddy waved at them with his free hand. His other hand clutching Harry's tightly.

* * *

 _A few days later…_

 _Location: Marauder's Den, Forks_

"Let's go, Teddy!" Harry called. Teddy came running down the stairs towards her. "Don't run on the stairs! It's dangerous! Now, do you have your pendant on?" she asked. Teddy nodded, as he lifted the small wolf pendant from around his neck for Harry's inspection.

It was a special pendant, crafted by Harry and Hermione. The pendant suppressed Teddy's metamorph abilities. It also shielded his mind, letting only emotions leak out, instead of conscious thoughts. He looked up at her with hazel eyes. "I do," he confirmed.

"You know why I have to look like this, right? And we cannot let anyone know about us. Muggles should not know about the existence of magic."

"Yes. I remember," he nodded, with what was supposed to be his serious face. _It just makes me want to smother him with kisses._

"Good. Let's go then! After all, we have soooo much of shopping left to do!" Harry grinned. "Yayee!" Teddy exclaimed. _Wonder when his enthusiasm about shopping will fade…_ Harry thought with a chuckle.

* * *

 _Location: Fork's food mart_

"Hello"

Esme blinked and looked down. Wide hazel eyes stared at her, unblinkingly. "Hello, how may I help you? Are you lost?" she asked.

"No. Can you give me that choco f'akes from the top shelf?"

She looked to the shelf he was pointing, and retrieved the desired product. "Is this what you want? Here you go, then," she said, handing him the box of chocolate flakes.

"Teddy! There you are! I told you not to run around in the mart!" Harry chided, as she pushed her trolley faster to reach him. Just then, she saw Esme Cullen standing next to him.

"Hello, Mrs. Cullen, sorry for any trouble he may have caused you," she said, with a small smile.

"Oh! No! He's a very sweet child," Esme replied. Looking fondly at Teddy, she continued, "What's your name, dear?"

"My name is Theodore Lupin, Mam," he replied, puffing his chest, as he lifted his hand in front of him to offer a handshake. Esme smiled, and placed her hand in his tiny palm. Teddy surprised her though, when he lifted her hand to plant a quick kiss on the back of her palm. As is the proper pureblood custom; _Andy raised him right. I'll have to curb that habit though. Some may think it to be sweet, but it may be weird to other non magical folks._

"Oh! He's such a charmer!" Esme said, amused.

"That he is… Teddy is my godson. And, I'm Harriet Black, Mrs. Cullen. I share a few classes with your children." Harry lifted her hand to move it through Teddy's soft hair.

"Please, call me Esme," she replied with a smile.

"Esme," Harry smiled, "Then it's Harry to you. We must get going now, lot's to do today. It was nice to meet you."

"It was nice meeting you too, Harry."

"Bye, Mrs. Cullen!" Teddy said, with an exaggerated wave.

The two ladies chuckled, as Esme replied with a pleasant "Good Bye, young man. I hope to see you around."

* * *

Location: Marauder's Den

"So! We have the groceries. We have the clothes. We have the all extra accessories. What else do we need? Teddy, do you need something else?"

"A piano! Like the one we have back home! You have to play my song, Harry!" _Wow... no demands for chocolates or ice cream. Looks like Teddy is still finding way to connect to his new life._

"Okay then, kiddo! But that'll have to be tomorrow. It's late now, go wash up. I'll prepare us some dinner."

"Pasta!"

"Yes, my Lord. I'll see what I can do," she replied with an amused smirk.

* * *

 _The next day…_

 _Location: Piano showroom, Seattle_

"Come on, Harry! Hurry up!"

"Slow down, Teddy. The shop isn't running anywhere."

The door opened with a ting, as a small boy entered the showroom with a young women at his heels.

"How may I help you?" asked the shop attendant.

"Oh! I'm looking for a grand piano, about 5'7" to 5'9"," said the women with grey green eyes.

"Of course! Please follow me, I'll show you the ones we have right now. You can also have one custom made for yourself!"

Harry followed the salesman to the back of the showroom, when she noticed someone else. _Oh No! The telepath is here. S_ he reinforced her occulemency shields.

"Play for me, Harry!" Teddy clapped with excitement. Harry snapped her attention back towards Teddy to see him looking at her with pleading eyes.

"Very well," Harry replied, as she sat in front of a decent looking living-room Grand Piano.

Soon, the tune of _'_ _Clair De Lune' by Claude Debussy_ wafted through the store. Harry grinned, as Teddy sat beside her on the stool. She was surprised though, when another tune joined in; perfectly complementing her notes, at the right pace. She looked up to see Edward playing the Medium Grand in front of him. _Well, well, the telepath is talented. Amazing! Let's see if he's up to a challenge though._

She changed her pace and started playing _'The winter Lullaby' by David Garrett._ Edward smiled, as he changed his style again, to match hers. After a few minutes of playing the song, Edward switched on to play the ' _The Moonlight Sonata' by Beethoven._ Harry grinned and joined in on his notes. _Another classic! He's a fan of the classics!_ And on and on they went, back and forth for a while. They ended their little competition, when Edward played a song unknown to Harry. She smiled and turned to the shopkeeper, "I'll take this one, Thank you."

"Yes, Mam. Please have a seat, while I complete the procedure. Would you like to have it delivered?" he asked, Harry nodded in response and handed him a card with her address and phone number.

"You play extremely well," called a voice from behind her.

"Not as well as you, though. Which was the last song you played?" Harry asked, turning around to face him. Edward was leaning against a pillar, besides the piano that he'd previously occupied. Harry flushed faintly when she found herself locked by his golden gaze. _It's been a year, and I'm still not used to his beauty._ He walked ahead to stand in front of her.

"Well, I cheated. That song was composed by me," he said, smiling mischievously. _Oh God! I want to kiss that smirk on his mouth…. What is wrong with me! I have never behaved like a hormonal teenager before._

"That was amazing. Harriet Black," she introduced, offering her hand.

"Edward Cullen," he replied, enveloping her hand in his. She felt her magic go haywire as soon as they touched, moving between them like a current.

"My name is Theodore Lupin," Teddy said, interrupting the moment as he offered his hand to Edward. Edward grinned and crouched in front of Teddy, giving his hand a gentle squeeze in return. "Hello, Theodore."

"Here, Ms. Black. I have everything ready. If you would follow me, so that we can settle the payment details," said the shopkeeper, as he walked back towards them.

"Yes, of course," she replied, "Let's go, Teddy. See you around, Edward. Goodbye!"

Edward straightened from his crouch and nodded in return.


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: Just a short chapter before the school starts... Other than that, please read and review! And Thank you for all those reviews on the previous chapter, guys!  
_

 **Chapter 9**

 _A few days later…_

 _Location: The La Push Beach_

"You can build your castle here. Don't go into the water, though!" Harry instructed, as she sat on a rock to keep an eye on Teddy. She removed a book about parselmagic from her bag, and started flipping through it.

"Harry! You're early!" Sam called out. She nodded and gave him a smile, "Hello, Sam. I am. That is my godson, Teddy, he wanted to spend some time at the beach." She glanced behind him to see another figure approaching. "Ohh! Congratulations! You found your imprint!"

"This is Emily. Yes, I did. Can you tell me all you know about them? I'm afraid the tribe leaders couldn't explain much to me."

"Okay. Have a seat then. You too, Emily. This is something you should know about."

That is how Jacob found them, about half an hour later. Harry was explaining something animatedly to the couple. Every once in a while, she glanced to her side to search for something and then promptly turned back to explaining. Sam was looking reverently at her, with deep respect in his eyes. He was giving her his entire attention and seemed to absorb every word that left her mouth. Emily seemed to notice this. Her expression was a mix of admiration, jealousy and grudging respect. It seemed Harry commanded respect in whichever form she may be. Jacob himself admired her in all ways, though he'd given up on being more than her friend. She was too much, too powerful even in her weakened state, too charismatic even through her disguise, too intelligent, too smart, and.. too beautiful. All this and Jacob could bet that he didn't even know half about this enigma. _She's way out of my league; I'm content to be her friend, though, I won't ask for more._

Harry seemed to sense him, then. She glanced up from her seat to give him a bright dazzling smile. She waved him over to her. Sam gave him a nod. "So! What are you guys talking about?" he asked, once he'd reached them. Harry was about to reply when her attention snapped towards the kid sitting a few feet to her left. She quickly closed the distance between then and bent to pick up a…. crab. She carefully placed the crab, that had been about to bite the child, a few feet away and made sure that it ran the other way before turning her attention back to her friends. All the while, the child remained unaware about the danger he'd been in.

"That's my godson, Teddy," Harry explained to Jacob. He nodded, unable to express anything else. "Where were we? Oh! We were just talking about…"

 _Enigma indeed…_ Jacob thought as he turned his attention fully towards her.

* * *

 _Location: Quileute Tribe – Black Residence_

"Hey Billy! Why are you outside? Waiting for someone?"

"Yes, I am. Charlie's coming to pick me up. We're going fishing," he said, "The others have already gathered inside. They're just waiting for you and Teddy."

"We should get in, then. See y-" she stopped, and turned to see Charlie's vehicle stop in the driveway.

"Hey, Billy! Are you ready? Listen up, I was wondering if Jacob was free this evening." Charlie asked as soon as he got down.

"I'll ask him. But I think he is… What's the matter? Do you want something fixed?" Billy asked.

"No. It's actually that… Well… I wanted to buy a car for Bella. I can't afford a firsthand car, but I hope she'll be happy with a secondhand one…"

"You don't need to feel obligated to do that, you know. I'm sure she'll understand if –"

"Ah No! I'm happy to do this for her, Billy. It might make up for all those missed birthdays. I hope she likes it here in Forks, though."

"I'm sure she will. She's in the same grade as Harry here, right?"

Charlie blinked and turned towards Harry, as though he just noticed that she was there. "Oh! Hello Harry. Hi, Teddy," he greeted with a smile.

"Hello, Charlie! Nice to see you again," Harry replied with a smile of her own.

"Hello, Mr. Swan." Teddy said from behind Harry's leg.

"Yes! Harry and Bella will be in the same grade. Bella is my daughter, Harry. She's coming to live with me this year. Her mother and I got divorced when she was young. And, well, it's a long story. Point is, she's coming back and I want to make her as comfortable here as possible. Since you both are going to the same school, I thought you could help me with this? If possible?"

"I understand, Charlie. Don't worry, I'll make sure Bella is fine." Harry reassured.

"Thank you, Harry. I owe you," Charlie said, with a relieved grin.

"We better get going, Charlie. If we want to catch those fishes," Billy reminded.

"Oh Yes! I should also go in, now. Let's go Teddy."

* * *

"Harry! Come in, come in," greeted Emily, "We were just waiting for you."

"Hey, guys! What's going on?"

"Jacob's childhood crush is going to be back in town. That's what's going on," Quil teased.

"Shut up, Quil!" Jacob snapped.

"Oh! You're not excited to see her? Why don't you tell Harry the reason you're growing your hair then?" Embry continued.

"I'm growing my hair because I want to try a new hairstyle! That is all!" Jacob replied.

"Then it probably doesn't have anything to do with the fact that Bella likes your hair long; does it, Jake?" Jared asked.

"…. No," came the small reply.

Harry bit the inside of her cheek, to keep herself from laughing out loud. Jacob's expression was so precious, right now. Apparently, someone else thought so too, as a flash went off from the corner.

"Stop teasing him, guys! I'm sure the ONLY reason Jake is growing his hair, is that HE likes it that way," Harry said, with a teasing grin, " 'Cause Jacob knows that Bella said that when they were kids. Things change, don't they? She probably prefers guys with short hair now. It's statistically more likely.."

Jacob paled, as he ran a hand through his steadily growing locks. "… she doesn't like it?" he murmured to himself.

That did it. The entire gang started laughing as they heard Jacob's rhetorical question. Jacob understood that he was being teased and gave a sheepish grin of his own.

"Not you too, Harry! These guys have corrupted you! My sweet little Harry is all gone now!" Jacob said in an overly dramatic tone.

Teddy giggled, "Jake is talking funny." Everyone grinned in adoration, as Jacob picked Teddy off his chair to spin him around in a circle. The house echoed with Teddy's answering giggles.

* * *

 _Location: Angela's house, Forks_

"Thank you for doing this, Mrs. Weber. I really appreciate your help."

"It's no problem, dear. Do not worry, I'm sure Teddy will have fun with the other children. And, the other teachers at the Montessori are extremely skilled at handling all types of situations" Angela's mother reassured.

"I'll drop Teddy there on my first day of School, then. You, of course have my mobile number. Just call me if anything comes up," Harry said.

"Don't worry, my dear. I'll handle everything," Mrs. Weber replied.

"That's settled then. Let's go to my room, Harry. Come with us, Teddy, I'll give you a sketchbook." Angela said. She turned to lead then upstairs. Stopping before a room, she opened it and gestured them to get inside.

"So… Did you hear about Isabella Swan? The grapevine says that Chief Swan's daughter is coming back to Forks this year. The news is all over the town. The guys are pretty excited, too," she said, once they had settled on her bed.

"Yes, I did hear about her. But, I don't get what's the big deal! I mean, I'm happy for Chief Swan, he's finally reuniting with his family. I imagine it'll be pretty hard for that girl to uproot her life in this way. And all our excitement is just going to drive her into seclusion," replied Harry, "I have promised Charlie that I'll help Bella settle at the school. The poor father is trying everything he can to make her as comfortable as possible."

"You're right, Harry… I did not think about it that way," Angela said, thoughtfully.

* * *

 _Location: Marauder's Den_

"Verdimillious"

"Alarte Ascendare"

"Carpe Retractum"

"Stupefy"

"Bombarda"

"Incendio"

"Aquamenti"

Harry panted; she'd been practicing spells for about an hour now. She had to admit she'd come a long way from before. Her strength now equaled an average wizard, _perhaps slightly better,_ still she had a long way to go before reaching her previous potential. And if what the healer said was true, she'd have to go longer, still, before reaching her true magical potential.

She looked around the room at the fallen dummies. And set about cleaning the room. The room on the ground floor had been transformed by her into a training room. Teddy knew this room was off-limits, so she didn't have to worry about accidentally hurting him. Once the room was clean, she turned towards the mirror on the far wall.

She'd begun to notice subtle changes in her physical form, too. Her strength, stamina, eyesight all seemed to be enhanced.

 _Hmm, I'll just have to see what ride the fates take me on, next._


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

 _A/N: We have reached the cannon timeline, guys. The following scenes are going to follow canon events, for some time. As for Bella, well… I don't want give too much away. This story will be neither Bella loving or Bella bashing. Though she will be mildly criticized, there will be nothing too extreme. As usual I hope you like this chapter. Please read and review!_

 _The first day of school…_

 _Location: Marauder's Den_

"Be quick, now. Do you have everything? Your bottle? Tiffin? Book? Crayons? Good. Now, You know my mobile number, by heart, don't hesitate to ask Mrs. Weber to call me if you need me," Harry instructed as she smoothed Teddy's hair, " Have fun, Teddy. But don't forget, your classmates are muggles, they can't know about magic. You'll be okay, right?" she continued, worried.

"Yes, Harry," Teddy replied with an eye roll.

"Oye! Don't be a brat," Harry said, as she kissed his forehead. "Let's go then!"

* * *

 _Location: Forks High School_

"Hello, you're Bella, right? Harriet Black, nice to meet you," Harry said as she thrust her hand forward.

"Hey Harriet, how did you know my name?" Bella asked.

"I think the entire school knows you by name, Bella," Harry teased.

"Yes, well," Bella flushed, "It's just that everyone else calls me 'Isabella', you're the first person to call me by my preferred name."

 _She's observant. Not necessarily a good trait among humans. Especially in a town like Forks, she might get into trouble because of her nature._

"Ah, I see… Jake told me about you," Harry confided with a smile.

"Oh! You're Harry, Jacob talks a lot about you," Bella stated, factually.

"The one and only, well… that's not true, there's a Harry in the tribe as well, but I hope I'm the one Jake was talking about…"

Bella smiled, feeling instantly at ease with this girl. She decided it'd be best to stick with her as often as possible. "Let's get to the Cafeteria before it gets too crowded," Harry said as she led Bella through the crowd.

* * *

 _Location: Cafeteria, Forks High School_

"… this is Jessica, and that's Angela. Guys, this is Bella," Harry introduced.

A chorus of 'heys' ran around the table.

Amidst the chatter, Harry observed as Bella kept quiet. Immersed in her own thoughts, looking around the hall, observing. _She's perceptive_. _Great! I'll have to be careful around her._ Just then, Bella's attention turned towards the back of the hall.

"Who are they?" she asked Jessica. Edward turned around to look at Jessica, before turning his gaze towards Bella. She blushed under the attention and turned away to face Jessica.

"Oh! They're the Cullens," Jessica giggled, moving on to introduce them.

"They're all very… nice looking," she said, "Which ones are the Cullens? They don't look related..."

 _Like I thought… observant and perceptive… this is not good. I hope she doesn't become infatuated by the_ _group of vampires._

Throughout the ensuing conversation, Bella's eyes flickered again and again to the table where the Vampire family sat. "Have they always lived in Forks?" she asked.

 _Too late…_ "No," Harry replied. "They moved here a year ago, the same time I did."

"Which one is the boy with the reddish brown hair?" Bella asked. _She doesn't give up, does she? Add persistent, probably stubborn to her list of traits._

"That's Edward. He's gorgeous, of course, but don't waste your time. He doesn't date. Apparently none of the girls here are good-looking enough for him," Jessica replied again, Bella's lips quirked up as she turned to look at Edward again.

"We should get going… I have Biology next, what about you, Bella?" Harry asked, desperate to drive the conversation away from the Cullens. _She's gathered enough attention from them.. Keeping Bella out of trouble is going to prove challenging. Sorry Charlie._

* * *

 _Location: Biology Class, Forks High School_

"So, how are you finding the classes so far?" Harry asked as they entered the Biology class room. She observed as Bella's attention immediately snapped towards Edward, she flushed and walked towards the teachers desk.

Though, as she passed in front of the fan, Edward stiffened, his eyes going black with hunger. Bella looked shocked at his hostile expression, and flushed further. _Oh No! Not good, not good, not good... she HAD to be his singer, didn't she? Well, glad to her bad luck rivals mine._ Harry thought, sarcastically.

The only two seats available in the class were one besides Mike and one besides Edward. Normally, Harry would've taken the seat besides Mike, avoiding the Cullens as much as possible. But today, she sighed internally before taking a seat besides Edward. _I would have masked her scent had I known, damn it! Edward will notice something off about her scent if I mask it right now. I just hope he has enough control to last through the hour. I don't want to go through oblivating every person in this class._

Bella turned after getting her slip signed. She looked oddly disappointed to note that the seat besides Edward was already occupied. Edward on the other hand, looked slightly better. His eyes were still black though.

Harry sighed and partially lowered her natural scent shield. She had put up the shield a year ago to avoid attracting attention from the clan of vampires. _But now, I have to give him something else to focus on._ Edward took a small breath, looking at Harry gratefully as he slowly unclenched his hands. "So! Do you tune your piano by yourself? I was trying to get someone to do it. I don't want to accidently snap a string, I've been out of practice for a long time," Harry said sheepishly, trying to distract Edward's mind. _Could you have picked a topic more lame!? Why don't you talk about the weather next!?_ "I would appreciate it if you could provide me with a contact."

"The store we met in, they offer regular maintenance contracts," he explained.

Harry knew that. "Okay, thank you."

"Where's your godson?" Edward asked, happy to use any excuse of distraction.

Harry grinned internally as she continued the conversation. _Thank God for small mercies. I'll have to search ways of applying permanent scent shields on muggles. But, I have to admit, I'm impressed Mr. Cullen, not many vampires have the drive or the determination to resist their singer. You have my respect for your efforts, Edward._

* * *

 _Location: Marauder's Den_

 _Would she wear a locket, if I gave it to her? No, that'll be too weird. I've only just met her. *sigh* Well, the only other option I see is potions. Thank God for all those extra hours I spent at the potions lab with Snape. Nightmarish they may be, but they impacted my potion skills significantly._

Just as Harry finished bottling her potion, the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Harry? It's Charlie."

"Charlie! Yes, tell me, how may I help you?"

"I was wondering if Bella could hitch a ride with you tomorrow. It's snowing already, and I've yet to make her truck weather proof. I was about to visit Jacob this weekend, but well,…"

"Of course, no problem at all; I'll pick her up tomorrow morning. See you then, Charlie."

"Yes, see you. And thank you, Harry."

 _Sometimes I wonder if these small moments where my luck shines is just Fates way of preparing for something extremely bad. Only time will tell, I guess…_

* * *

 _A/N: 10 chapters done! Wow! I hope you guys are enjoying reading this story as much as I enjoy writing it. Really, I would love to hear your opinions so far!_


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Location: Swan Residence, Forks

"Where are we, Harry?" asked Teddy.

"We're picking up a friend, love. Then I'll drop you off. Will you be okay? Sitting in the car? I'll be back in just a moment," Harry promised and quickly left the car when Teddy nodded.

She rang the bell and waited patiently in front of the door.

"Hey Harry, Good morning," greeted Chief Swan; already in his uniform.

"Hello Charlie, Bella. Let's go, then. Oh! Before I forget, here this is for you, Charlie," Harry said, as she handed him a cup of steaming coffee.

"Ah! Thank you for this, you're my savior."

Harry smiled and turned to get into her car. Once Bella had settled down besides her, she handed her the second cup. "Here, this is for you, I already had mine." _Hopefully the potions effect will last through the week. It won't completely block her scent, just make it... less potent.  
_

"Thank you, Harry. And I'm sorry for all this trouble. Charlie can be over protective sometimes," Bella said with a small smile.

"No, no… this was no hardship. And I don't know about him being overprotective, the weather really seems to be turning for the worse."

* * *

 _A few minutes later…_

 _Location: Forks High School._

"We're early," Harry said as she got out of the car.

"Yes, but not that early. We should get going. I don't want to accidently break my neck while trying to rush," Bella replied, looking at the gathering snow with trepidation.

"Someone has a morbid sense of humor, I see," Harry said with a grin, even as she started walking towards the building.

* * *

The day passed quickly. Thankfully, Edward and Bella shared just that one subject together. The potion seemed to have done its job. This was proved during lunch, when Bella passed by their table, and Edward seemed content to just ignore her.

School was done for the day, yet the clouds seemed unrelenting in their persistence to block the Sun. Thankfully, it had stopped snowing sometime during the afternoon.

Harry started walking towards where Bella was waiting for her. She was leaning against the side of the car, with headphones in her ears and a book in her hand.

Just as Harry reached Bella, it happened. It started with a high-pitched screech, which was fast becoming painfully loud. Harry looked up, startled.

Everything seemed to slow down, like in movies. A dark blue van skidded off road, its tires locked and squealing against the breaks. It span wildly out of control, heading straight towards Harry and an unsuspecting Bella. On instinct, Harry pushed Bella out of the way of the spinning trajectory. Unfortunately, she herself had no time to get away. Just as she was about to shield herself with her magic, something hit her, cold and hard, but not from the direction she was expecting. Harry felt her head hit the pavement with a solid thud as a solid body pinned me to the ground. She breathed in the scent of fresh pine and daisies. _Not exactly a manly scent._ The back of her mind supplied. _Shut up, stupid brain._ Two long, white hands shot out protectively in front of her, and the van shuddered to a stop a foot from her face. Harry looked up into those gold eyes she was so familiar with. _Huh, I owe him a life debt. That's a novel experience for me._

It was absolutely silent for one long second before the screaming began. In the ensuing chaos, she could hear more than one person shouting her name. But more clearly than all the yelling, she could hear Edward Cullen's low, frantic voice in her ear.

"Harry? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Harry said with a gasp. She tried to sit up, only to realize that he was still holding her against the side of his body in an iron grasp.

"Be careful," he warned. "I think you hit your head pretty hard."

"I did. Though it doesn't feel like a concussion," she replied, warily.

"Have a lot of experience with those, I see." His voice, amazingly, sounded like he was suppressing laughter.

"You don't want to know..." Harry trailed off, trying to clear my head, get my bearings. "Bella!? Is she okay?"

"She is, you pushed her out of the way. Nice reflexes," he said, his tone serious.

"I could say the same," Harry replied. She turned to sit up, and this time he let her, releasing his hold around her waist and sliding as far away as he could in the limited space. Harry looked at his concerned, innocent expression and was disoriented again, by the force of his gold-colored eyes.

And then the crowd of people found them, with tears streaming down their faces, shouting at each other.

"Don't move," someone instructed.

"Get Tyler out of the van!" someone else shouted.

There was a flurry of activity around. Harry tried to stand up, but Edward's cold hand pushed her shoulder down.

"Just stay put for now."

"But, I'm fine," she complained; extremely used to people being overprotective of her.

"Harry! Are you okay?!" Bella asked, frantically, leaning over Harry's squished car to get a look at her.

"I'm fine." Harry replied, using her favorite phrase. Bella turned, surprised to see Edward besides Harry. "How did you get here so soon? You were over there; you were by your car," Bella asked.

His expression turned hard. "No, I wasn't. I was standing just besides you both."

"He's telling the truth, Bella. I saw him standing besides us," Harry said, _I'm TRYING to keep you safe Bella. Just go along with it, for now. Please._

Bella looked skeptical, but thankfully, let the issue subside for now. It took six EMTs and two teachers - Mr. Varner and Coach Clapp - to shift the van far enough away from them to bring the stretchers in. Edward vehemently refused his, and Harry tried to do the same, but the traitor told them she'd hit her head and probably had a concussion. "I don't have a concussion!" Harry exclaimed; giving a petulant pout when the EMTs ignored her and secured her in a neck brace. It looked like the entire school was there, watching soberly as they loaded her in the back of the ambulance. Edward got to ride in the front. It was maddening. At least Bella had to ride with her. _Well, I did promise Chief Swan, I'll give his daughter a ride, today. Though I doubt, this was what he had in his mind when he asked me for help._

Just as they loaded her into the ambulance, Harry turned to see the Cullens. Their expressions ranged from disapproval to fury, but held no hint of concern for their brother's safety. _Of course. They should really improve their acting skills._

* * *

They put them in the emergency room, a long room with a line of beds separated by pastel-patterned curtains. A nurse put a pressure cuff on Harry's arm and a thermometer under her tongue. Since no one had told her otherwise, Harry decided she wasn't obligated to wear the stupid-looking neck brace anymore. When the nurse walked away, she quickly unfastened the Velcro and threw it under the bed. Bella sat on a bed to her left, looking at her with concern.

"Teddy!" Harry said. "Oh God! I must call Mrs. Weber. He'll be so worried by now."

"Don't worry, I called Charlie. He said he'll collect him on his way here," Bella said.

There was another flurry of hospital personnel, another stretcher brought to the bed to Harry's right. It was Tyler Crowley beneath the bloodstained bandages wrapped tightly around his head. Tyler looked a hundred times worse than both, Harry and Bella. But he was staring anxiously at them.

"Guys, I'm so sorry!"

"I'm fine, Tyler - you look awful, are you all right?" Harry asked, concerned.

He ignored her. "I thought I was going to kill you both! I was going too fast, and I hit the ice wrong..." He winced as one nurse started dabbing at his face.

"Don't worry about it; you missed us," Bella reassured.

"How did you get out of the way so fast? You were there, and then you were gone..."

"Umm... Harry pushed me, and Edward pulled her out of the way," she explained.

He looked confused. "Who?"

"Edward Cullen - he was standing next to me." Harry said trying to sound as convincing as possible. _Huh… At least hanging out around purebloods has improved my acting._

"Cullen? I didn't see him... wow, it was all so fast, I guess. Is he okay?"

"I think so. He's here somewhere, but they didn't make him use a stretcher," Bella said. _So I wasn't the only one who thought that was unfair!_ Harry thought, satisfied.

They wheeled her away then, to X-ray her head. Harry tried to convince the hospital staff that she was sure she did not have a concussion. She was, once again, ignored. She took a deep breath and pulled all her magic into her core. _I'll have to hold on. Hopefully, my core won't mess with the X-ray machine._

* * *

 _A few minutes later…_

"Is she sleeping?" a musical voice asked. Harry's eyes flew open.

Edward was standing at the foot of her bed, smirking. She glared at him. It wasn't easy - it would have been more natural to ogle.

"Hey, Edward, I'm really sorry -" Tyler began.

Edward lifted a hand to stop him.

"No blood, no foul," he said, flashing his brilliant teeth. _Oh! Ha Ha… very funny, Edward…_ He moved to sit on the edge of Tyler's bed, facing Harry. He smirked again.

"So, what's the verdict?" he asked her.

"I'm fine," Harry replied.

"There's nothing wrong with us at all, but they won't let us go," Bella complained. "How come you aren't strapped to a gurney like the rest of us?"

"It's all about who you know," he answered. "But don't worry, I came to spring you both."

Then the doctor walked around the corner. _Oh! I'm honored, my scratch is about to be treated by the famous, Dr. Carlisle Cullen. Surely he has more serious patients to attend to!_ Harry thought. Bella was staring at him, open-mouthed.

"So, Miss Black," Dr. Cullen said in a remarkably appealing voice. _Okay, I need to stop crushing on dangerous vampires. Seriously._ "How are you feeling?", he continued.

"I'm fine," Harry said, for the last time, she hoped.

He walked to the light board on the wall over her head, and turned it on.

"Your X-rays look good," he said. "Does your head hurt? Edward said you hit it pretty hard."

"It's fine," she repeated with a sigh, throwing a quick scowl toward Edward.

The doctor's cool fingers probed lightly along her skull. He noticed when she winced.

"Tender?" he asked.

"Not really." _I've had worse._

Carlisle smiled and turned to check Bella.

"Well, Chief Swan is in the waiting room. You both are free to leave; but Miss Black, you must come back if you feel dizzy or have trouble with your eyesight," he said, turning back towards Harry once he had finished checking Bella.

Harry nodded back, dutifully.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

 _Location: Forks Hospital_

"Oh God," Harry muttered under her breath at the thought of explaining today's incident to Ron and Hermione.

Dr. Cullen raised his eyebrows. "Do you want to stay?"

"No, no!" She insisted, throwing her legs over the side of the bed and hopping down quickly. Dr. Cullen still looked concerned.

"I'm fine," Harry assured him, again. "Take some Tylenol for the pain," he suggested.

"It doesn't hurt that bad," Harry insisted.

"It sounds like you were extremely lucky," Dr. Cullen said, smiling as he signed their charts with a flourish.

"Lucky Edward happened to be standing next to us," Bella amended with a hard glance at Edward. _Is she trying to get herself killed? What's wrong with her!_ Harry thought with a sigh.

"Thank you, Dr. Cullen." Harry said, trying to divert the topic.

Dr. Cullen smiled, thankful for the diversion himself and turned towards Tyler.

"I'm afraid that you'll have to stay with us just a little bit longer," he said to Tyler, and began checking his cuts.

* * *

Edward walked with Bella and Harry to the waiting room. Once they walked in, Harry could see almost everyone from school flocking around the room.

"Harry!" A small figure hugged her legs tightly.

"Hey, champ," Harry replied, picking Teddy up to settle him on her hips. Teddy immediately latched onto Harry's neck, sniffling into her hair. "What happened? Hey … hey… don't cry love…" she said, concerned.

"Don't leave me, Harry. Don't go to away like mommy, daddy and gramma. Please," he sniffled; pressing his tear stricken face deeper onto her shoulder.

"I'm fine, Teddy. Don't cry, love. I will never leave you. I'm fine. See," Harry reassured, rubbing his back.

"Miss Bella?" he asked, once he was sure that Harry was okay.

"Bella is also fine. She's not hurt." She turned to see Bella talking to a concerned Charlie. "Edward is fine, too. Nothing happened. No boo boo. I promise." Teddy turned to look at Edward, "How are you?" he asked, still clutching tightly to Harry's neck.

"Don't worry, Teddy; _I'm fine_ ," he said the last few words with a small smile, glaring playfully at Harry. Harry chuckled and shook her head with a smile.

"What did the doctor say? Do you have to take any… " _potions_ , Teddy trailed off, looking back at Harry.

"No, I don't have any medicines to take. Now, I think we've been here long enough. Let's go home, shall we?" Harry asked. She turned to see Charlie and Bella still in a heated argument. _We can wait for some time, Chief Swan will surely give us a lift. Ugh… but I want to leave this place as soon as I can. I hate hospitals._

"I'll drop you," Edward offered with a smile. "Dad gave me his keys."

Harry nodded her head in thanks, and turned to say goodbye to her classmates. Bella wanted to protest when she heard Edward was dropping them, but nodded reluctantly when Harry reassured her that it was fine.

* * *

The ride passed in comfortable silence, after Harry gave him her address. Both of them, lost in thought.

"Thank you, for doing this, Edward, and for saving me. I really appreciate it." Harry said sincerely, when they reached their destination.

Edward nodded and got out of the car, while she looked back to check on Teddy. Poor kid was exhausted and had dozed off at some point during their journey. She was startled when Edward held her door open for her. Harry got out, giving him a small smile, and carefully opened the back door. _I'll have to wake him up,_ she thought regretfully, _I can't carry him up the stairs in my state._ She was just about to wake Teddy; when a cold hand held her wrist. Her magic buzzed at that, snapping between them like a tensed elastic band. She looked up into those liquid gold orbs, surprised.

"I can carry him." Edward offered, "He must be tired."

Harry nodded, uncertainly. "Okay, thank you," she moved to make way for him. Surprisingly, seeing Teddy asleep in Edward's arms did not raise any alarms with her instincts. They crossed the short distance to the front door with ease. Harry fished out her keys and opened the door. _Thank Merlin, I already moved all magical stuff to the third room in a bid to keep Teddy safe._

"Could you settle him on his bed? If it's not a problem…" she asked.

Edward shook his head, "No problem. Lead the way."

They entered a small bedroom and Harry watched as Edward tenderly placed Teddy onto his bed, before moving back. _He must have been really worried to be this exhausted._ Harry put her hand on Teddy's forehead to make sure he didn't have any fever. She then removed his shoes and tucked him in with a blanket.

She led Edward back to the living room and offered him a seat. "Would you like to have anything? Tea? Coffee?" she asked, even though she knew the answer to that question.

"No, thank you. I should get going, though. Esme might be worried. Do you want me to pick you up for school, tomorrow?"

"No, that's alright, Edward. Bella already offered to give me a ride."

Edward looked surprised; as though he was unused to being refused. _He probably is, which sane girl will refuse to hitch a ride with him? Well, I never claimed I'm sane._ Harry thought, amused.

"Thank you once again, for all that you did, today. I really appreciate it."

Edward nodded, "Good bye Harry."

He left her, then, alone to her thoughts. Harry walked to the floo to activate it. _Let's check if I have some mail… And then, well... I'll have to write to Ron and Mione._

* * *

 _Later that evening…_

"Go upstairs and brush. I'll be there in a minute," Harry instructed as she picked up the dishes to clean them. She heard soft footsteps as Teddy rushed to comply with her request. _Wow, my hearing seems to have improved yet again._

She checked the front door and the wards around the house, before making her way upstairs. Teddy lay awake in the bed, eager to have some normalcy after the day's events. Harry smiled, settling besides him to read him a story.

Once she was sure that he was asleep, she switched off the reading lamp while keeping the night lamp on. Kissing his forehead, she made her way to her bedroom. Taking a pain relief potion, she took care of her nightly routine and entered her bed. With a sigh of content she felt the tension leave her body as she drifted off into peaceful slumber.

* * *

Sometime during the night, Harry was startled awake when she felt the wards around the house shift. Someone had just crossed her wards! The fact that the person could enter proved that Harry had permitted them to do so, before. Harry quickly applied her glamour and contemplated going outside to check. That's when she heard the trees rustling just outside her window. A window which was open… Making a quick decision, she pretended to be asleep; slowing her breathing and steadying her heart. Harry stretched her magic to check who'd entered her room, uninvited. _Edward! How dare he breach my privacy, like this! Is he here to attack me? But why would he do so now? He already had many opportunities to attack me… No, he doesn't intend to hurt me, but then why enter my room like a common thief!_ She felt angry, her privacy had never been violated like this since she'd taken the lordship of the four important magical houses; since she had reached adulthood, in fact. _I should just incinerate him where he stands!_ She continued, yet made no move to get up.

Sighing internally, she decided to wait in order to gain insight of his motives. And so, she continued to monitor him with her magic. Though, Edward seemed content to just stand in one corner without making any move to touch anything. Slowly, but gradually, the exhaustion returned and Harry felt sleep take hold of her again.

* * *

The next time she woke up, it was because she felt another ward go off. But this time, it was the ward she'd placed around Teddy's bed. She sensed Edward still hiding in the corner, and deduced that Teddy must be awake. Sure enough, she heard the door to her bedroom open as small feet shuffled to her bed. Teddy tugged at her hand and Harry pretended to wake up.

"What's wrong, Teddy?" she asked, concerned.

"Can't sleep. Bad dream," Teddy said in a small voice.

"Oh, my love. Come here," she picked him up and settled him onto the bed next to her. Lifting her blanket she enveloped him in her arms. Teddy immediately shifted to bury his nose in her hair. "Comfy?" she asked, with a small smile. Teddy nodded, already dozing off to sleep.

Harry sighed and settled back down; one hand holding Teddy close.

 _He is still here. Why? Is he suspicious about us? He hasn't even moved from his place!... Merlin! Forget it! I don't have enough energy to contemplate any of this right now. I'll deal with this tomorrow. Right now, I just need some sleep._

* * *

 _A/N: Happy New Year, Friends! Glad to know we all made it safely to this year! Hmm.. Edward seems to be channelling his inner stalker... I was thinking about doing a chapter in Edward's POV... What do you think? Would you like to see that? Let me know! And as always, thank you for your support!_

 _PS: Oh! and special thanks to all those who help me fix the errors in my story! I am truly grateful! XD_


	13. Extra Chapter I

A/N: So here it is.. as promised. A chapter in Edward's POV. Well, the chapter turned out to be pretty long, so I decided to split it into two parts. I'll post the next part at a later date.

 **Extra Chapter I**

 _ **Edward's point of view:**_

 _First Day of School..._

This was the time of day when I wished I were able to sleep. High school.

Or was purgatory the right word? If there was any way to atone for my sins, this ought to count towards the tally in some measure. These senseless hormone fuelled thoughts around me were a constant buzz in the back of my mind. It had taken years of practice, for me to ignore these insistent thoughts. Thankfully… I can easily tune them out now. It was almost instinctual for me to scan these mundane thoughts before discarding them. The first few days, after moving to a new town, were usually the worst. Humans were unused to the unnatural beauty of a vampire. It was, therefore, understandable for them to be ensnared by us. As a result, it took them a few months to cave-in to their survival instincts, after which they subconsciously started avoiding my family. Peace at last... until we move to a new town, that is.

Today was just the same. Nothing out of the ordinary. New town, new people, same tendencies. Which is why I was surprised when suddenly, a small almost inaudible gasp caught my attention. On reflex, I turned around to look at the source of the sound. Two dull grey green eyes stared back at me. Eyes embedded in a soft face, encased with soft but average brown hair. I don't know what about this human girl held me captive in that moment; but for some reason, I couldn't look away... Mentally shaking myself, I scanned her mind. I admit that I was somewhat disappointed to stumble upon the usual infatuated thoughts of a teenage girl. Nothing extraordinary... I shook my head, turning my attention back towards my siblings. What else did I expect to find, in a place like this, anyway? Like I said, school was purgatory.

* * *

Forks in itself, was a pleasant place. The dense forest near the town was, as always, rich with wildlife. It was comforting the way some things remained the same. The only changes to be expected were in the occupants of the town. Of course, these changes were the sole reason we were able to relocate to such places. And though... the people were different, their names different, their faces different… they were all, essentially, the same.

Well, not all, there were some exceptions… one exception… The image of grey green eyes popped into my mind. Harriet Black, is a mystery. A mystery that has hounded me since that first day of school. She is an anomaly, a contradiction, a paradox- come to life. She is average… academically, sitting through lectures, showing not one ounce of interest. Almost as if these lectures were a formality that she had to complete. And yet, I had observed the flash of understanding in those intelligent eyes, on countless occasions. Eyes that belonged to a person who could easily manipulate the situation to her advantage… perceiving far more than an average teenager should. She is average... in appearance, but exudes the confidence and self assurance of a born celebrity. She hardly asked for any respect, but seems to get it anyway; commands it, in fact. It was interesting to observe the dynamics between her and her friends. Though never in any apparent danger, she always seems so extremely careful… as though her every move was being observed under a microscope. It is strange how her eyes sparkled with joy at the smallest of things, but seem unnecessarily cautious at others.

A year, I have had… to observe her. And yet… she is still a stranger. I don't know if I am imagining it; but Harry seems to be avoiding any and all contact with my family. It is strange, when all the other students tripped over themselves, to gain our attention; she seems content in keeping to herself.

There's another thing that is unnatural about her: her thoughts. After the initial day, I hardly got anything from her. Sometimes, when I concentrated hard, I got some simple sentences. But the sentence was usually some trivial statement, one that I'd find in any of my human classmates; a statement which did not match the intelligence in her eyes. My siblings seemed convinced that I am over reading these circumstances, and that Harry is just another average teenage girl; but my instincts tell me otherwise.

* * *

I was surprised the day I met her at the piano store; with a small child on toe, no less. I wasn't expecting to run into someone here. I had already decided on the piano I wanted to buy when the front door bell 'tinkled' to announce the arrival of a customer.

"Come on, Harry! Hurry up!" I heard the voice of a child.

"Slow down, Teddy. The shop isn't running anywhere." I recognised her voice instantly!

"How may I help you?" asked the shop attendant.

"Oh! I'm looking for a grand piano, about 5'6" to 5'9"," Harry said, as I felt my curiosity rising. Could she play?

"Of course! Please follow me, I'll show you the ones we have right now. You can also have one custom made for yourself."

Soon they came to the back where the grand pianos were kept; "Play for me, Harry!" the boy, Teddy clapped with excitement. I felt a small smile twitch on my lips, Rosalie may be onto something after all. Children really were amazing; such a rare combination of innocence and curiosity, full of joy and excitement. The child was adorable with soft brown hair and bright hazel eyes. Was he related to Harry? He called her by her name…

"Very well," I was snapped out of my internal monologue as I heard Harry's reply. Soon, the tune of _'_ _Clair De Lune' by Claude Debussy_ wafted through the store. Amazing, she can play! And has a good taste in music too! I joined in with her, to announce my presence. She looked surprised, but gave a small smile; her eyes sparkling.

She changed her pace and started playing _'The winter Lullaby' by David Garrett._ I felt a smile curve my lips as I accepted her silent challenge. This will be fun! I changed my style again to match hers. My turn, I thought… as I played ' _The Moonlight Sonata' by Beethoven._ Harry grinned and slowed her pace to match my notes. We kept this on, for a while. Testing each other's knowledge... before I decided to end our mini contest. Smiling mischievously, I started playing Esme's song. She stopped playing, then, turning to listen to me play instead.

I don't know why, but I found myself respecting this girl; despite myself. I admit it to myself now, I have admired her for quite a while… Which was probably the reason why I usually tried to avoid reading her mind; with the same courtesy that I extended towards my family. Not that I could hear her at all times even if I tried... But right now... the curiosity was killing me. So I reached towards her with my mind trying to read her thoughts, hoping to catch a stray statement; only to be met with blankness, once again. I turned my mind towards the child; maybe he could tell me something. Though even from Teddy, I only got vague incoherent thoughts which represented emotions of joy, reminiscence and love. This wasn't unnatural, though. It was hard to read the thoughts of some children. Their minds usually not coherent enough to form thoughts and reasoning; but a jumble of emotions and impulses.

Finishing the song, I walked towards Harry where she was busy talking to the shopkeeper. "You play extremely well," I praised, a high praise from me, but she truly deserved it.

"Not as well as you, though. Which was the last song you played?" she asked with that cute smile curving her lips. Her gaze locked with mine. Why do I always feel as if I am missing something crucial whenever I look at her! Why is she such a mystery!? What is it about her that captures my attention…

"Well, I cheated. That song was composed by me," I accepted with a smirk; a smirk that usually got me anything I wanted. I was pleased to notice her blush. What is wrong with me! Why am I flirting with a human! This could be dangerous, I cannot get attached to a Human, I cannot risk my family.

"That was amazing. Harriet Black," she introduced, offering her hand; regaining my attention… Yes, getting involved could prove to be dangerous and yet, I found myself unable to ignore her, as always...

"Edward Cullen," I replied, enveloping her hand in mine. I felt a strange electric charge run up my arm when I touched her; not exactly unpleasant but strange.

"My name is Theodore Lupin," Teddy said, interrupting us as he offered his tiny hand to me. I grinned and crouched in front of Teddy, giving his hand a gentle squeeze in return. "Hello, Theodore." I murmured, tenderly. The moment was broken when the shopkeeper returned. Harry left soon after then; leaving me, once again, wondering about her.

* * *

The start of the school term bought with it another new student. All thoughts around me were consumed with the trivial drama of a new addition to the small student body here. I'd seen the new face repeated in thought after thought from every angle. Just another ordinary human girl. The excitement over her arrival was tiresomely predictable - like flashing a shiny object at a child.

 _Edward Cullen._

Reflex reaction. I turned to the sound of my name being called, though it wasn't being called, just thought. My eyes locked for a small portion of a second with a pair of wide, grey green eyes before settling on to Jessica. I looked at the new girl briefly before turning away, bored.

 _Of course she's already crushing on the Cullens,_ I heard the first thought continue. It took me a second to realise that I couldn't hear any thoughts from the new girl, Bella Swan.

I concentrated hard, and yet... nothing. Strange...I had never encountered something like this before. At least with Harry, I could gain the occasional snippet. And with Teddy, I could gain the gist of his thoughts. Bella Swan, on the other hand, was like a blank slate. It was like her mind did not exist. Was there something wrong with me? I felt exactly the same as I always did. Worried, I listened harder. All the voices I'd been blocking were suddenly shouting in my head... _wonder what music she likes...maybe I could mention that new CD..._ Mike Newton was thinking, two tables away - fixated on Bella.

 _Look at him staring at her. Isn't it enough that he has half the girls in school waiting for him to..._ Eric Yorkie was thinking sulfurous thoughts, also revolving around the girl.  
 _  
...so disgusting. You'd think she was famous or something... Even Edward Cullen, staring..._ Lauren Mallory was so jealous that her face, by all rights, should be dark jade in color. _And Jessica, flaunting her new best friend. What a joke..._ Vitriol continued to spew from the girl's thoughts.

 _...I bet everyone has asked her that. But I'd like to talk to her. I'll think of a more original question..._ Ashley Dowling mused.

 _...maybe she'll be in my Spanish..._ June Richardson hoped.

 _...tons left to do tonight! Trig, and the English test. I hope my mom..._ Angela Weber, a quiet girl, whose thoughts were unusually kind, probably one of the reasons she was Harry's close friend.

And Harry… was humming _Clair De Lune_ in her head. I smiled internally, recollecting our previous encounter. See! I could hear them all, hear almost every insignificant thing they were thinking as it passed through their minds. But nothing at all from the new student.

I tuned out the rest of the conversation. All these voices were giving me a headache. Yes! Vampires do get headaches! Or maybe that's just me..."Shall we?" Rosalie murmured, interrupting my focus. I shrugged and got up to join my siblings.

* * *

In the classroom, I settled into my chair and let my books spill across the table. I had the entire table to myself. The humans weren't smart enough to know that they feared me, but by now, their instincts were enough to warn them off.

The room slowly filled as the students trickled in from lunch. I leaned back in my chair and waited for the time to pass. Again, I wished I was able to sleep. My attention turned to the door when Harry walked in with Bella.

 _Yes!_ Mike Newton thought, turning in his seat to watch the girls enter.

And just then, Bella Swan walked into the flow of the heated air that blew toward me from the vent. Her scent hit me like wrecking ball, like a battering ram. There was no image violent enough to encapsulate the force of what happened to me in that moment. In that instant, I was nothing close to the human I'd once been; no trace of the shreds of humanity I'd managed to cloak myself in remained.

I was a predator. She was my prey. There was nothing else in the whole world but that truth. There was no room full of witnesses - they were already collateral damage in my head. The mystery of her thoughts was forgotten.

Thirst burned through my throat like fire. My mouth was baked and desiccated. The fresh flow of venom did nothing to dispel that sensation. My stomach twisted with the hunger that was an echo of the thirst. My muscles coiled to spring.

Not a full second had passed. She was still taking the same step that had put her downwind from me.

As her foot touched the ground, her eyes slid toward me, a movement she clearly meant to be stealthy. Her glance met mine, and I saw myself reflected in her eyes. The shock I saw on her face saved her life for a few thorny moments. 'Get away! Quickly!' I thought desperately, hanging on to my control. Suddenly, Harry gently nudged the frozen girl ahead. I inhaled thankfully, eager to erase the potent smell and give myself some respite. The scent was still there, though... just not as strong as before. My hand gripped under the edge of the table as I tried to hold myself in my chair.

I blinked in surprise when the chair besides me shifted. So focused I'd been on the new girl, that I missed when Harry had taken the seat besides me. Leaving the only other available chair besides Mike, who was doing a small victory dance in his head.

I risked taking a small breathe, grateful when all I could mostly smell was a floral scent of... lilies and something like jasmine... not quite, something that I couldn't fully identify. "So! Do you tune your piano by yourself? I was trying to get someone to do it. I don't want to accidentally snap a string, I've been out of practice for a long time," Harry said sheepishly, "I would appreciate it if you could provide me with a contact."

"The store we met in, they offer regular maintenance contracts," I explained, grasping the distraction with both my hands and jumping onto it like a hungry bear.

"Okay, thank you." No... Thank you!

"Where's your godson?" I asked, trying to keep the conversation running to keep my mind distracted.

And so, the potentially worst hour of my life turned into a rather bitter sweet memory.

* * *

A/N: Hmm… Looks like Edward was enamoured with Harry since the beginning… Poor Harry didn't have a clue.. XD… as always… Anyways, Did you like this chapter? Let me know!


	14. Extra Chapter II

**A/N:** Sorry for the long wait friends! I was just a bit busy with everything that has been going on around me. I am posting the second bonus chapter here. Just thought I would catch up on Edward's POV before I continue with the story.

Anyways, these chapters were a bit rushed, so let me know if there are some mistakes. I am planning to re do the story to fix all the major bugs, once I finish it. But until then, I will still smooth all the errors I can!

Thank you for all your reviews! Please, Enjoy!

 **Extra Chapter II**

The day had been strangely pleasant so far. Bella's scent today, though still enticing seemed… insignificant, somehow. Like the huge river of her scent had dried out leaving small rivulets to survive. I had always envied Carlisle his control, now I knew - it was easy to ignore temptation when you had something better to focus on. Harry's scent, though in no way appetizing, was far more pleasant than Bella's. Though her scent was somewhat muted, it was easy to pick up on it now that I was familiar with it.

Right now, we were standing in the parking lot. I watched as Harry entered the parking lot, striding towards her car, where Bella waited for her arrival. Should I go talk to her? Would that be okay?...

"NO!" Alice gasped aloud. Instantly, I scanned her thoughts, guessing at first that I had made some poor choice and she saw me doing something inexcusable. But it had nothing to do with me at all. Tyler Crowley had chosen to take the turn into the parking lot at an injudicious speed. This choice would send him skidding across a patch of ice...

The vision came just half a second before the reality. Tyler's van rounded the corner as I was still watching the conclusion that had pulled the horrified gasp through Alice's lips.

No, this vision had nothing to do with me, and yet it had everything to do with me, because Tyler's van - the tires right now hitting the ice at the worst possible angle - was going to spin across the lot and crush the girl who had become the uninvited focal point of my world.

Even without Alice's foresight it would have been simple enough to read the trajectory of the vehicle, flying out of Tyler's control.

Said girl, standing in the exactly wrong place at the back of her truck, looked up; understanding flashing in her grey green eyes.

 _Not her!_ The words shouted in my head as if they belonged to someone else.

Still locked into Alice's thoughts, I saw the vision suddenly shift, but I had no time to see what the outcome would be.

Harry turned to push Bella away from the van. She didn't have time to save herself though, I saw resignation dawn into her eyes. No fear, just acceptance. I launched myself across the lot, throwing myself between the skidding van and the resigned girl. I moved so fast that everything was a streaky blur except for the object of my focus. I caught her around the waist, moving with too much urgency to be as gentle as she would need me to be. In the hundredth of a second between the time that I yanked her slight form out of the path of death and the time that I crashed into to the ground with her in my arms, I was vividly aware of her fragile, breakable body.

When I heard her head crack against the ice, it felt like I had turned to ice, too.

But I didn't even have a full second to ascertain her condition. I heard the van behind us, grating and squealing as it twisted around the sturdy iron body of the girl's truck. It was changing course, arcing, coming for her again - like she was a magnet, pulling it toward us.

I had already done too much. As I'd nearly flown through the air to push her out of the way, I'd been fully aware of the mistake I was making. Knowing that it was a mistake did not stop me, but I was not oblivious to the risk I was taking - taking, not just for myself, but for my entire family.

Exposure.

And this certainly wasn't going to help, but there was no way I was going to allow the van to succeed in its second attempt to take her life. I dropped her and threw my hands out, catching the van before it could touch Harry. The force of it hurled me back into the car parked beside her car, and I could feel its frame buckle behind my shoulders. The van shuddered and shivered against the unyielding obstacle of my arms, and then swayed, balancing unstably on the two far tires. If I moved my hands, the back tire of the van was going fall onto her legs.

 _Oh, for the love of all that was holy, would the catastrophes never end? Was there anything else that could go wrong?_ I could hardly sit here, holding the van in the air, and wait for rescue. Nor could I throw the van away - there was the driver to consider, his thoughts incoherent with panic.

With an internal groan, I shoved the van so that it rocked away from us for an instant. As it fell back toward me, I caught it under the frame with my right hand while I wrapped my left arm around the girl's waist again and drug her out from under the van, pulling her tight up against my side. Her body moved limply as I swung her around so that her legs would be in the clear - was she conscious? How much damage had I done to her in my impromptu rescue attempt?

I let the van drop, now that it could not hurt her. It crashed to the pavement, all the windows shattering in unison.

I knew that I was in the middle of a crisis. How much had she seen? Had any other witnesses watched me materialize at her side and then juggle the van while I tried to keep her out from under it? These questions should be my biggest concern.

But I was too anxious to really care about the threat of exposure as much as I should. Too panic-stricken that I might have injured her myself in my effort to protect her. Too aware of the heat of her soft body, pressed against mine - even through the double obstacle of our jackets, I could feel that heat...

The first fear was the greatest fear. As the screaming of the witnesses erupted around us, I leaned down to examine her face, to see if she was conscious - hoping fiercely that she was not bleeding anywhere.

Her eyes were open, staring at me with shock and confusion.

"Harry?" I asked urgently. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." She said the words automatically in a dazed voice.

Relief, so exquisite it was nearly pain, washed through me at the sound of her voice. She struggled to sit up, but I was not ready to release her. It felt somehow...safer? Better, at least, having her tucked into my side.

"Be careful," I warned her. "I think you hit your head pretty hard."

"I did. Though it doesn't feel like a concussion," she said, as though hitting her head was an everyday occurrence to her… or maybe something like a concussion was… trivial for her.

"Have a lot of experience with those, I see." Relief made this funny to me, made me almost giddy.

"You don't want to know..." Her voice trailed off, and her eyelids fluttered. "Bella!? Is she okay?"

How can this girl think of someone else in such a situation! "She is, you pushed her out of the way," I reassured her. "Nice reflexes," I continued.

"I could say the same," Harry replied. She turned to sit up, and this time I let her, releasing my hold around her waist and sliding as far away as I could in the limited space. And then the crowd of people found us, with tears streaming down their faces, shouting at each other.

There was a flurry of activity around us. Harry tried to stand up, I put my hand lightly on her shoulder to hold her down. She seemed alright, but should she really be moving her neck? Again, I wished for Carlisle. My years of theoretical medical study were no match for his centuries of hands-on medical practice.

"Just stay put for now."

"But, I'm fine," she complained. I ignored her.

"Harry! Are you okay?!" Bella asked, frantically.

"I'm fine." Harry replied, using her apparently favorite phrase. "How did you get here so soon? You were over there; you were by your car," Bella said, turning to look at me.

She'd seen too much. I felt myself turn cold. "No, I wasn't. I was standing just besides her," I insisted.

"He's telling the truth, Bella. I saw him standing besides us," Harry said. Strange, I thought she'd side with Bella. Bella looked skeptical, but thankfully, let the issue subside for now. The EMTs and teachers arrived then. I let everything else fade into the background. The thoughts coming from my Siblings were harsh, reprimanding. As if I didn't already know that I'd done something wrong. Try as I might though, I still didn't feel even a shred of remorse.

* * *

 _Later that evening…_

I tried to convince myself not to go. I knew it was wrong. But I just had to see her. I had to… So here I was, at Harry's house; stealthily climbing the tree near her window. I jumped through the window and landed with a silent crouch. And there she was, sleeping peacefully. Her face was smooth, except for a small frown that creased her eyebrows. I ached to run a finger over her eyebrows, but I knew my boundaries. _I have already crossed my boundaries!_ I settled into once corner of her room, perfectly hidden by the shadows. _This was so wrong! Forgive me for disrespecting your privacy, Harry. I just couldn't… stop myself._ Sometime during the night, I heard the door to Teddy's room open. His small feet padded silently across the floor and entered Harry's bedroom. He slowly approached her bed and tugged on her hand.

"What's wrong, Teddy?" she asked, sleepy and concerned.

"Can't sleep. Bad dream," Teddy said in a small voice.

"Oh, my love. Come here," she picked him up and settled him onto the bed next to her. Lifting her blanket she enveloped him in her arms. Teddy immediately shifted to bury his nose in her hair.

"Comfy?" she asked, with a small smile. Teddy nodded, already dozing off to sleep.

I felt overwhelming emotions rise into me then; staring at the two happy, peaceful faces; emotions like content, peace, calm, protectiveness and… was that love? No… maybe… but it was definitely something close…


	15. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

 _Location: Marauder's Den._

 _How do I stop him without revealing too much about myself? Locking the window doesn't help… Stupid vampire just stands outside the window watching me throughout the night! Plus the air gets stuffy… bonus! Yayee! …Now, if only I could twist the wards to keep him out… Ugh! There's no other way, I'll just have to reveal my secrets…_

 _Well, it was inevitable. As the head of the Black family, the Quileute tribe is my responsibility, too. It would have been necessary for me to side with them in cases of emergency…_

A strange feeling of uneasiness arose within her at the thought of standing against the Cullens… against Edward. This uneasiness was not due to fear or threat of danger… God knows that's never stopped her. It just felt… unnatural… to fight against them.

 _Why! Why am I so hesitant at even the thought of harming him!?_ And even when she asked herself that question, she acknowledged the answer… _Respect. Edward, Esme, Carlisle… all the members of the Cullen clan have already gained my respect. All of them, going against their instincts to protect their humanity. Defying their nature…_ She shuddered involuntarily, remembering the animalistic vampires she had encountered during The Great War.

 _There is one thing pretty clear to me, though I don't understand his motives, Edward doesn't want to harm me. Then there's the fact that I owe Edward a life debt. He is strange; risking exposure just to protect me...Why?_ Harry sighed, looking outside her bedside window at the starry sky outside… _There's another reason I keep allowing him these nightly visits._ She acknowledged to herself. _My nightmares…_ Harry had been plagued with nightmares since… forever. Before the war they were a result of Voldemort's mind manipulation, later they were due to the war itself. She used to see them, every night she tried to sleep… the face of every person she had lost to the chaos of the war. Dreamless sleep potion helped, for a while. But then, she had become addicted to the potion. At which point, Mione had summoned every vial of dreamless sleep from the Black Manor, before blasting them. Then she had proceeded to get a magical oath from Harry to stay away from the potion.

She had gotten used to them… these nightmares. Well, no one can get used to these nightmares, but she had learned to live with them. Until recently, that is. They had yet to return since Edward started visiting her. At first, Harry was convinced that this was because she barely got any sleep in his presence; that the nightmares hadn't come because she was always aware, always conscious. But now… now Harry slept better than she had since the Great War. She was somewhat ashamed to admit that she had started to feel safe in Edward's presence. _My parents and Sirius must be rolling in their graves. I'm knowingly letting an… unknown man… into my bedroom every night,_ she thought with a smirk.

 _Well, he's not that unknown. And I do admit I am flattered by his interest; Creepy and Dangerous though the interest might be… Well, Ron always does claim that I have an unhealthy obsession of seeking out danger;_ Harry thought with a smirk. _And when danger looks this irresistible.. well…_ She blushed. Suddenly feeling a bit hot, she cleared her throat, before shifting her comforter a bit more comfortably.

She sighed again, diverting her mind away from temptation. Stalking issues aside, things at school had settled down. Bella seemed suspicious about the Cullens, but kept her thoughts to herself, for now. _Thank Merlin for small mercies._ Other than that, Edward and Harry barely communicated with each other; though their Biology class seemed to be the exception. Harry enjoyed talking to someone who could keep up with her. The class was usually filled with intentional puns and witty come-backs. _We are NOT flirting,_ Harry thought stubbornly, _no matter what Hermione would like to assume_.

Edward seemed to have grown immune to Bella's scent. Harry's plan of gradually making him accustomed to Bella's scent had worked. _That's one crisis averted…_

The spring ball was around the corner. Harry was thankful that her classmates had given up asking her out after last year. Mike, Eric and Tyler had already asked Bella; Harry chuckled at the awkward flush her friend gained at this unwanted attention. And so, to avoid the entire fiasco, Bella had begged Harry to accompany her to Seattle that day. Harry had caved in the instant Bella turned on her puppy eyes.

 _I blame Teddy… for making me susceptible to puppy eyes._ She thought with a mental huff, just as she felt the wards shift to admit her nightly visitor.

 _Seriously, Edward! You're lucky Sirius can't hex you right now. Well, this will stop soon, either way._ Harry felt a small pang in her chest at the thought. Dismissing these thoughts, she cleared her mind… _Until then…_ she drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

 _Location: Cafeteria, Forks High School_

"Edward Cullen is staring at you," Jessica said, Harry blinked in surprise and turned to look behind her. "I wonder why he's sitting alone today." She saw Edward, smiling crookedly, staring at her from an empty table across the cafeteria. Once he'd caught her eye, he raised one hand and motioned with his index finger for her to join him. Harry stared in disbelief… he winked. _Bold, Mr. Cullen._

"Does he mean you?" Bella asked with astonishment in her voice.

"Maybe he needs help with Biology," Harry muttered for her benefit. "Umm, I'd better go see what he wants."

Harry could feel the stares at her back, as she walked towards Edward's table. When she reached his table, she sat on the chair across from him.

He was still smiling. Harry stared at his liquid gold eyes, careful to keep her thoughts concealed. He seemed to be waiting for her to say something. Rather than entertaining him, Harry raised an eyebrow. "Yes?" she asked, keeping her face blank. "Well..." He paused, and then the rest of the words followed in a rush. "I decided as long as I was going to hell, I might as well do it thoroughly."

Harry was silent for a beat, waiting to see if he would elaborate. He didn't. An amused smile quirked up her lips, _Is that why he is trying to irritate me with his nightly visit? After all, Hell is the easy way out, if I decide to hex him… Hell hath no fury like a women scorned… or so they say…_ "Would you like to elaborate?" she asked. Edward just shook his head.

"I think your friends are angry with me for stealing you."

"The same could be said for your family, they don't look particularly happy with me." Harry could feel their stares boring into her back, too.

He just laughed. "You don't look worried. Are you not afraid of us?"

"No," Harry said, "I'm surprised, actually... what brought all this on?"

"I told you - I got tired of trying to stay away from you. So I'm giving up." He was still smiling, but his eyes were serious. _Is that what you were doing? Staying away? So now that you're giving up, how close do you want to get?_

"I don't think that's wise for you. I have a bad history with fate. She kind of likes to mess with the people closest to me." Harry said, trying to caution him.

"I don't think you'll have to worry about me, Harry," Edward replied, his eyes sparkling.

"I'll believe you, for now. You seem confident enough."

The breathtaking crooked smile reappeared.

"I always say too much when I'm talking to you."

"Don't worry - I understand what you mean by giving too much away," Harry said wryly.

"So, are we friends now, Harry?"

 _I think this question should have come before you started sneaking into my room, Edward._ "I wouldn't be sitting here otherwise…" Harry said at last, trying to ignore the sudden flutter in her stomach. _He wants to be my friend? Not friend of the girl-who-lived. Not friend of the Head of Four Noble Houses. No… he just wants to be MY friend._

He grinned. "Well, I should warn you, I'm not a good friend for you."

"Let me be the judge of that," Harry said _. Pot… Kettle…_ She thought before she felt a small probe at her shields.

"What are you thinking about, Harry?" Edward asked, curiously.

"I'm trying to figure out why you are so intent on gaining my attention; and yet, when I give you the attention, you try to warn me away." Giving none of her thoughts away, she played the 9th symphony by Beethoven outside her shields.

"That's really frustrating, you know," he complained, his eyes narrowing.

"What?" Harry asked innocently.

"You know more than you let on. What are you hiding, Harry?"

She felt her heart beat faster. _I wish I could tell you everything, Edward. It's just, I am not ready, yet….Well, it's just a matter of time…_

"Pot – kettle?" she asked, repeating what she had thought just moments ago.

They stared at each other, smiling cryptically.

Edward ditched the Biology class, that day. Harry found out later, that it was because they had blood typing. _How did he know? Did he read it on Mr. Banner's mind? Or do they have a seer in their midst. A natural Legilimens and a seer! - that would be a deadly combination._

* * *

 _A few days later.._

Today, they were planning to go to the La Push beach. Bella had invited Edward along during lunch, when they had met at the café queue. Edward had declined when he'd heard about the location.

As soon as the last bell rang, the group gathered at the parking lot. "Bella and I will meet you there, guys." Harry bade them a goodbye, and entered her, now fully repaired, car. Bella got inside besides her, picking a nice music for the trip. They collected Teddy from his school, before continuing on with their journey. Once they got there, Harry parked her vehicle besides Mike's van and got down.

 _Location: La Push Beach_

"Hey, Angela! Where is everyone?" Harry asked as soon as she saw her friend sitting in the van; eating a 'salt water taffy'. "They've gone surfing," Angela replied.

"Harry! I want to make a castle! Please!" Teddy said.

"Yes, Teddy. You can go. But! Don't enter the water without me!" she instructed. Teddy nodded and left excitedly.

"Hey there, angel!" a familiar voice called from behind her. The nickname was a parody of that time Jake had asked if she had wings.

Bella and Harry both turned to see Jake and two other guys approaching them. Harry grinned, "Hello, Jake, Embry, Jared.." she greeted.

"Long time no see…" Jake continued.

"Oh, I didn't know 24 hours counted as long time" Harry teased. Jacob grinned. "Hey Bella!" he said with a small blush that made Harry smirk internally.

"Hey Jacob!" Bella replied with her hands in her pocket.

"Want to walk down the beach?" Jake asked, Bella nodded and they left towards the sand.

"You know Jacob, Harry?" Lauren asked - in an insolent tone.

"We've sort of known each other since last year," Harry replied, her eyes glued to the chatting pair.

"How nice." She didn't sound like she thought it was nice at all, and her pale, fishy eyes narrowed.

Time passed in comfortable silence. Harry kept an eye on Teddy and Bella. She had noticed Bella flirting with Jacob. Now, she had that glint in her eyes that meant she was up to something. Harry felt her eyes narrow and quickly jogged down to meet the pair.

"And what are they?" she heard Bella ask, when she reached near them. "What are the cold ones?"

Harry felt her blood turn cold. Jacob was giving away some secrets that weren't his to give!

"Jacob!" Harry said, when she saw he was about to reply. She gave him a disapproving frown. "Hey! What are you guys talking about?"

"Nothing!" They both said in unison, looking surprised.

"You guys don't mind if I join you, right?"

Bella looked ready to protest, but Jacob agreed readily. _I see, she is not above manipulating others to get her means. Very slytherin of you, Bella. But I won't see Jacob being used like this. You will learn not to play with other's feelings._

"There you are, Bella!" Mike called.

"You go ahead Bella, I just need to talk to Jacob." Harry said with a smile.

Bella went towards Mike, reluctantly.

"You are very innocent, Jacob," Harry sighed as soon as Bella was at a distance.

"What do you mean, Harry?" Jacob asked, confused.

"You were just about to offer her a secret. A secret that binds your land. A sacred promise. And, you were just about to give it all away. Don't you see when you're being manipulated. I'm sorry, I know I don't have any right to dictate your life, but I cannot see you being cheated right in front of me. You're my friend, Jacob. My first friend from Quileute. I care about you."

"What do you mean? Cheated? No… It's Bella, she won't cheat me," Jacob said in a small voice.

"Just think back to your conversation, Jacob. You'll have your answer. Did she seem overly flirtatious, today? You've met her a couple of times before; was her behavior today different from those time? Was she extremely interested in listening about the Cullens? Did she drive your conversation, in such a way that you were bought back to that one topic?"

"No…" Jacob whispered in disbelief, but Harry saw realization dawn on his face; closely followed by hurt.

"Sometimes… Sometimes we hurt the ones we are closest to, and sometimes we are hurt by them, in turn. Just be more aware, Jake. Don't let feelings cloud your judgment. You're young, but smart enough to understand this," Harry said, softly.

"Thank you, Harry. I think… I think, I'd like to be alone now." Harry nodded, and left him standing there to join Teddy.


	16. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

An excited Jessica, flowed by a shy Angela interrupted Harry and Bella as they were on their way to the Literature class.

"Harry! Bella! We're going to Port Angeles, today. Shopping for the Ball! Come on, join us! It'll be fun! We can have dinner later."

The weather was sunny, today. Harry knew the Cullens wouldn't be showing up to school. "Sorry guys, I can't leave Teddy alone," she said, apologetically, "You guys should carry on, though. Have fun!"

"Oh, come on, Harry! Bring that cherub along with us! We'll all keep an eye on him," Angela insisted.

"Well, if you're sure," Harry chewed on her bottom lip and glanced at Bella. She saw Bella give her a discreet nod. "Okay! Let's do this!" The girls cheered.

The day passed quickly and the weather continued to smile brightly upon them. Harry dropped her vehicle back at home and joined the girls in Jessica's old white Mercury.

They collected Teddy on their way and reached Port Angeles by four. They chatted among themselves, excited for the evening they were about to have.

* * *

 _Location: Port Angeles._

Port Angeles was a beautiful little tourist trap, much more polished and quaint than Forks. But Jessica and Angela knew it well, so they didn't plan to waste time on the picturesque boardwalk by the bay. Jess drove straight to the one big department store in town, which was a few streets in from the bay area's visitor-friendly face.

The dance was billed as semi formal. The store didn't have many choices. _Actually they don't really have anything. Damn purebloods and their standards, raising my expectations._ Harry kept her comments to herself though, not wanting to come off as a snob. Bella seemed content to agree with all their choices, so after a while, they switched the topic to their dates.

"Didn't you ever go with a boyfriend or something?" Jess asked dubiously, when Bella claimed she'd never been to a ball. "Really," Bella said, "I've never had a boyfriend or anything close. I didn't go out much."

"Why not?" Jessica demanded.

"No one asked me," Bella answered.

"What about you, Harry? Have you been to a ball?" Angela asked her.

 _Oh yes. Too many to count. Most of them hosted in an attempt to either kill me or honor me,_ Harry though, wryly. "Yes, I have," she replied simply, playing with Teddy's hair as he slept on her lap.

Since the dress selection wasn't large, both Jessica and Angela were done in about an hour. They headed over to shoes and accessories, then. While Jessica tried a few shoes on, Harry went on to help Angela with her choice. They both watched bemusedly as Teddy wore a pair of flat heels, way too big for his tiny feet, and tried to strut around in them. Harry quickly snapped a picture of the adorable moment.

"Angela?" Harry heard Bella ask, after a few moments. She pretended she couldn't hear them from this distance.

"Is it normal for the... Cullens …. to be out of school a lot?" Bella continued, hesitantly.

 _Again with the Cullens! Really Bella, you are like a Pygmy Puff with a shiny object! Does she have a death wish, looking around for vampires!_ Harry mentally rolled her eyes. _Bella is extremely lucky that the vampires in question have an... unconventional diet; Or else she'd have been a tasty morsel in the bellies of a few, by now. I'm going to have my hands full, protecting her._ "Yes, when the weather is good they go backpacking all the time - even the doctor. They're all real outdoorsy," Angel told her quietly and the conversation ended, just like that.

They planned to go to dinner at a little Italian restaurant on the boardwalk, but the dress shopping hadn't taken as long as they'd expected.

Bella decided she wanted to go to a bookstore. She promised to meet them at the restaurant, but Harry decided to tag along. Bella seemed reluctant at first, but nodded her head in assent. _She didn't really have a choice; I'm not leaving her alone._ Jess and Angela seemed more at ease at this, and the group split up.

The bookstore was a little further away than they had initially anticipated. Bet Harry felt good, walking in comfortable silence. The streets were filled with end-of-the-workday traffic, they asked around a few people to get some directions. _Who thought it was a good idea to roam around in an area with no maps? Oh yeah, that was us._

They meandered through the streets, finally reaching the bookstore. They went inside, Harry quickly selected some recipe books she wanted to try. She waited patiently for Bella to finish with her purchases, Teddy sat besides her, flipping through a comic book. Every once in a while he'd excitedly show Harry a scene to which she'd smile indulgently.

It was already dark by the time they left the store. They briskly walked in the direction they'd come from. Harry itched to perform a 'point-me' spell, but that was not possible with Bella right besides them. She couldn't exactly explain a floating object guiding their way; that too to an observant girl, like Bella.

They rounded around the corner to reach an isolated street. Harry hesitated, but Bella walked ahead confidently. She sighed and quickly joined her.

Just as they rounded another corner, they saw a group of seven men heading towards them, dressed too casually to be heading home from the office, but they were too grimy to be tourists. Harry tightened her hand around Teddy's and pulled him closer to her. The men were joking loudly among themselves, laughing raucously and punching each other's arms. Harry tried to ignore them and walked her path silently.

"Hey, there!" one of them called.

Harry stopped and turned to look at the group.

They smelled of alcohol and… something rank. Bella paled and held onto Harry's hand trying to tug her. Harry shook her head minutely and stood her ground. She glared at the men.

"Oh! This one has fire! What are pretty girls like you doing all alone this evening?" One of them asked, mockingly. Harry shifted Teddy behind her. Bella shivered and shifted closer to Harry.

"Don't be like that, sugar! I'll make sure you have a good time!" They guffawed, standing in front of them.

Harry grit her teeth, feeling anger simmer inside her. She shifted, placing herself in such a way that she partially hid Bella from their view as well. Bella griped the back of her top, and Teddy clutched at leg.

"Stay away from us," she warned in a low voice.

"Hey! She has an accent, that one is mine!"

"Oh! Shut up! I saw her first!"

"I want the shy one, she's more my type."

"I'll go after you!"

"And what will I do with the runt!? He's not my type, you know!"

They continued to laugh throughout their mean, degrading comments. Anger shifted into rage. Harry felt the glamour around her eyes shatter. She glared at the insignificant pests in front of her. She was about to blast a curse at them, when suddenly a car turned around the corner.

It came to a screeching halt behind them. Edward jumped out of the car, and placed himself between Harry and the men. "Get in," he commanded.

Bella jumped to action, quickly turning around to get inside. Harry stayed in her place. "Get in the car, Teddy," she instructed, in a calm voice. Teddy followed the command without hesitation. Bella picked him off the ground and held him close; closing the door behind them. Harry glanced back to make sure both of them were in the car.

She then took a step forward to stand besides Edward. Emerald eyes blazed with anger as she glared at the people who had threatened her friend and son. The group took a step back as they stared at the duo. Edward emitted a low growl; and they seemed to get the message. Taking a few more steps back, they quickly ran the other way. Harry glanced at Edward now that the immediate threat was gone, only to notice him looking back at her. Black coal met her Emerald fire. Harry took a deep breath to calm her anger. Once she had her breathing back under control, she placed her hands at her temple; reapplying the glamour on her eyes.

Edward's jaw unclenched slowly, he turned around and walked to the car. He opened the passenger door and glanced back at Harry. Without a word, she got into the car, silently. Once settled, she glanced behind to check if Bella and Teddy were okay. Bella looked pale and Teddy looked confused, but they were otherwise unharmed. Harry wasn't sure she could reassure them without losing control of her magic, so she stayed silent for now. Edward got onto the driver's seat and swiveled the car in the opposite direction to where the men had run off.

"Put on your seat belt," Bella said quietly when they reached the highway. That broke the tension in the car, as Edward chuckled at her absurd statement. "You put on your seat belt," he instructed. She obeyed and connected the belt with a loud snap.

"Are you okay?" he asked Harry, softly. "No," she admitted, "I don't take kindly to someone threatening the people I love." Edward nodded. "Bella?" he asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yes," she answered, "Teddy is fine, too." She continued. Harry glanced outside the window.

"Distract me, please." Edward requested.

"I'm sorry, what?" Bella asked, confused.

He exhaled sharply. "Just prattle about something unimportant until I calm down," he clarified, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger.

"Um… I'm going to run over Tyler Crowley tomorrow before school?" Bella said, ending the statement more like a question.

Harry felt the corner of her mouth twitch. "Why?" Edward asked.

"He's telling everyone that he's taking me to prom - either he's insane or he's still trying to make up for almost killing Harry and me last... well, you remember it. Since Harry blankly refused him, he thinks taking me to prom is somehow the correct way to gain our forgiveness. So I figure if I endanger his life, then we're even, and he can't keep trying to make amends…" Bella babbled on.

"It'd be wrong to hunt them down. It cannot be justified," Harry muttered under her breath.

Edward glanced at her, sideways, "That's what I am trying to convince myself," Edward murmured.

"I have to get Teddy to safety, first," she murmured back.

Edward sighed and nodded. Just on cue, Teddy's voice filled the car, "I want to go home, Harry."

"We'll be home in no time, Teddy." Harry promised. "Jess and Angela! They'll be worried!" Bella suddenly exclaimed. "La Bella Italia," Harry said.

Without another word, Edward turned his car around. They reached the restaurant and Harry quickly got down from the car. Jessica and Angela were just getting out of the restaurant when they saw them. "Harry! Bella! We were just about to go searching for you! Where were you!?" Angela said, worriedly.

"They ran into me… We lost track of time," Edward said from behind Harry, giving a small smile.

"Oh! Well we just ate while we were waiting, Sorry. We can wait for you to finish, though," Jessica said.

"No, that's okay. I'm sure I can make something back at home," Harry said. Bella nodded, "I'm just not hungry."

"Okay than, Let's go?" Jessica asked, glancing between Harry and Bella.

"Yes, you all go ahead; I'll join you guys in five minutes," Harry said, waiting till they proceeded before turning back towards Edward.

"This has been delayed for long enough, I would like to meet your family. Is tomorrow okay?" Harry asked.

Edward looked thoughtful for a second, before giving Harry a firm nod, "Okay, I'll make sure all of us are present." As he said this, Edward searched Harry's face for any sign of fear. Harry kept her face blank.

"I don't have your address…"

"I'll pick you up. At ten?"

"Tomorrow at 10, see you then."

* * *

A/N: Wow! I'm so excited! The Story is taking an interesting turn! I love how we can see how strong and confident Harry is, in this chapter! Not just magically but emotionally as well! So? Like this chapter? Let me know!


	17. Chapter 15

**A/N:** Sorry for taking such a long time friends! I was a bit busy with a few projects! To make up to you, I'll be uploading three chapters simultaneously! Your reviews encouraged me a lot! Thank you for your support! Anyways, without further ado, let's get to it!

* * *

 **Chapter 15**

 _Location: Marauder's Den_

Wandlessly opening the front door, Harry gently kicked the door ajar with her foot, quickly entering the seating area where she shifted Teddy from her hip to the couch. Her precious godson fussed a bit at this change before settling back into sleep. Briskly entering the kitchen, Harry decided to whip up some sandwiches and hot chocolate.

"Teddy, love, here… sit up." She called out gently, helping Teddy to get settled as she placed the sandwiches and milk in front of him. "I would like you to have some milk and sandwiches before you go to sleep. I know you're tired love, just try to finish as much as you can."

Getting a small nod in return, Harry smiled and kissed Teddy on his forehead. _Well, now that that's done, I think I should talk to Hermione. I could really use some advice right now._

Turning around, Harry walked towards the floo, only to notice that she already had a floo message waiting for her.

" _Harry, Contact me as soon as possible. –Hermione"_

Taking a deep breath, Harry collected a handful of floo powder and proceeded to open a secure international floo channel, directly to Ron and Hermione's place.

"Harry?" Came Hermione's sleepy voice as soon as the floo call connected.

"Hey, Mione. Too early?"

"No No!" came the reply, "It's good that you called me as soon as you could. There's been a problem. Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange escaped from Askaban, yesterday. The Ministry is trying to keep this under wraps for now, just to keep the people from panicking."

"Merlin! How did this happen?"

"They had help. We're not exactly sure how this happened, but some investigators believe that the brothers have taken refuge in the Lancaster Citadel. Atleast that's where Rabastan's Tracer was last identified."

"Lancaster Citadel? I thought the magical vampire council had renounced all ties with the Dark forces? I mean, Grand Mistress Callidora herself gave me her word!"

Hermione nodded, "That was exactly why I advised the Minister to contact her immediately. But our summons went unanswered. There is something strange going on, I have a bad feeling about this. Just… be careful Harry. I feel uneasy knowing that you're all by yourself out there."

Harry let out a sigh, "Don't worry, Mione. I'm not alone here. The pack is here… Jacob, Sam, Billy… I'll be fine."

"I miss you, Harry."

"Miss you too, Mione," Harry smiles, tiredly, "A lot has happened here too, I was just about to message you when I received your missive."

"What's going on? Is this regarding the Cullens?"

"Well, kind off. Uh… I'm thinking of letting them in on my secret."

"Why? What happened?"

"They already suspect something is off with me. Edward, being a natural Legilimens, has been suspicious about me for quite a while now. Plus if I'm siding with the Quileute Tribe, the truth is bound to come out sometime or the other. When that does happen, I want it to be on my terms. Plus I believe my magic has progressed enough that I can protect myself in cases of emergency."

"From what you've told me about the clan, I think it'll be safe to let them in. But there's something else too, isn't it? I know you Harry, there's something else going on with you. What is it?"

Harry paused, preparing for what she wanted to say, "Just hear me out first, alright?"

Hermione nodded, encouragingly.

"I think I like Edward," Harry blurted out. "I mean he's honorable and smart and funny. He's just… so nice! And frustrating! What with his idiotic quips and stupid crooked smiles. And those mercurial mood swings! Honestly, he goes from treating me like a stranger to stalking me in like seconds! And," she blushes, "He's handsome. Of course he is, he's a vampire, right? A Predator. But I don't feel like that, Moi. Cause he tries to protect me. And I don't know why, he keeps risking his secret again and again, just to save my life. I mean, I'm perfectly capable of saving my own life, but then again, he doesn't know that, does he? And then I owe him a life debt, and it…" She paused, taking a deep breath, "…it just doesn't feel right to keep my identity a secret when he's risking his own to protect it… So…"

Hermione suppressed a smile, "So? So… you like him… cause you owe him a life debt?"

"What? No Moi. This isn't about the debt, it's just well…"

Hermione cocked her head to the side, "Then, you like him… cause he's frustrating?"

"No! Uh! I don't know! What should I do, Moi!?" Harry pleaded.

That seemed to do it, as Hermione burst out laughing heartily.

Harry frowned, "Hey! Stop laughing at me!"

"Sorry, Sorry. I'm not laughing at you. I'm just laughing at this situation. Well, Harry, whether or not you pursue your feelings with Edward is your own decision. I'd just like to point out, that I ended up marrying my own version of smart, funny, handsome yet extremely frustrating. So I don't know if I am the right person to advice you in this. I just think you should follow your heart, do whatever feels right."

Harry smiled, "So… you think I should do it? ... Offer a courtship? I mean I would like to find out where this could go… Should I? Give this a chance?"

"I think you deserve a chance at happiness, Harry. If you think Edward might be the one to make you happy, you know I would support you in your decision. I would always support you, no matter what. So just do what your heart tells you, and leave the rest to Mother Magic."

Harry smiled, relieved. "Thank Hermione. I really needed this therapy."

Hermione chuckled. "Anytime Harry. I think you should go to sleep, now. It's been an eventful day, for both of us. I'll keep you updated about the Lestrange situation."

Harry nodded, "Okay, Bye Mione. Send Ron my regards!"

"Will do! Bye!"

Entering the living room, Harry saw that Teddy had already finished his sandwich and was eagerly slurping at the Hot chocolate. Sitting beside him, she carefully ran her hands through his hair.

"Hungry, love? Do you want some more sandwiches? Hot chocolate?"

Teddy shook his head, keeping the empty glass down, before scooting closer to Harry. Harry gathered him in her arms, kissing his temple.

"Alright then. Would you like to sleep now?"

A nod. _Poor Baby, he's so tired!_

"Go on upstairs and change. I'll join you in a few minutes."

Teddy shook his head, clinging to her.

"What's wrong, love?" Harry asked, worried. Getting no reply in return, Harry pressed her palm to Teddy's forehead. _No fever... This must be due to today's incident, then. God! I want to hunt those scums and curse them to hell!_

"Would you like to sleep in my room today?" She asked, rubbing his back in soothing circles.

A tiny nod.

"Alright then," flicking her hand, she levitated the dirty dishes to the sink, before proceeding to her bedroom with Teddy already dozing on her shoulder.


	18. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

 _Next Morning_

 _Location: Marauder's Den_

Harry and Teddy were waiting outside on the porch when Edward arrived to pick them up. They walked up to the silver Volvo, Harry helped Teddy get onto the back seat before settling herself in the passenger seat. "Good Morning." She wished.

"Good morning," Edward said with a smile.

"We'll just drop Teddy at Mrs. Weber's place before continuing, if that's okay."

Edward nodded before shifting the gear.

* * *

 _About half an hour later…_

 _Location: Cullen's Residence_

"You have a lovely house," Harry said when they reached to Cullen Residence.

"Esme would be pleased to hear that. The house was designed by her," Edward replied, leading Harry to the front door.

The door opened before they reached it. Carlisle Cullen gave them a small smile, "Welcome, Miss Black."

"Dr. Cullen, Esme," Harry greeted with a nod.

"Harry, Please, come in. Let us continue in the living room." Esme said. "What would you like to have, Harry? Coffee? Tea? Juice? Water?"

Harry shook her head, smiling politely. "Nothing, thank you."

They entered the living room where the rest of the family was already present. Alice and Jasper were standing near the window. Rosalie sat royally in an arm chair; while Emmet leaned on it, standing to its side. Harry took a seat on a couch opposite to said arm chair.

"You wanted to discuss something with us, Harry?" Carlisle said as he sat on the love seat besides Esme.

"Yes. I assume you're the… head of the family?" At Carlisle's nod, Harry continued, "Then before we can take this discussion any further, I'd like you to promise that whatever is about to be revealed will not be disclosed, by you or your family, to anyone; without my permission. I'd, of course, extend you the same courtesy you offer me."

Carlisle frowned before nodding in agreement and Harry bound him to the oath with her magic. Strangely, all the Cullens stiffened at the touch of Harry's magic. _Interesting._

"Great then! As Edward might already suspect some things because of yesterday's fiasco, I'd like to clear a few things up. I am… a witch." Harry watched their faces to gauge their reaction. Carlisle's face showed a mild recognition; Rosalie looked at her with distrust; Jasper's expression was calculating; Esme was looking at Edward; and Edward… well… Edward's expression betrayed no emotion.

"I have heard about your kind. I don't know much except for a few facts." Carlisle said.

"Yes, witches and wizards are particularly prejudiced against vampires, especially since the last few decades." _Due to their allegiances with a crazed psychopath._ "The Ministry of Magic and the Magical Vampire Counsel, under the guidance of Grand Mistress Callidora, are now trying to bridge the differences. Though the non magical vampire Counsel, 'The Voltori' I believe, have remained neutral towards us. You must already know how the wedge between magical and non magical vampires was formed when 'The Voltori' refused to accept the governance of the magical vampire counsel..."

Carlisle shook his head, leaning ahead in his seat, while the other's continued to look at her in varying degrees of shock and confusion.

"I believe we were not privy to this information. Please, continue. This is most fascinating." Carlisle said, motioning with his hand to encourage Harry to continue.

"Well, The Voltori wished to retain complete control over your kind, and did not appreciate any interference. Grand Mistress Callidora agreed to their terms, up to some extent. She decided to allow The Voltori to form different laws and enforce them over all non magical vampires, provided they continue to uphold the statue of secrecy. Though even today, The Voltori haven't gained complete independence or jurisdiction over non magical vampires..."

Harry trailed off, looking around as the vampires processed this information. "Wait, so when did you know what we are?" Emmet asked, curiously.

Harry smiled, "I knew you were vampires when I first saw you, last year."

Edward shifted his stance, titling his head as he asked, "What do you gain by telling us all of this? You already knew our secret, so why would you reveal your own?"

 _Oh the irony of YOU asking me this question, Edward…_ Harry blushed faintly, before quickly regaining her composure as she continued, "Our kind still uphold old traditions." _I owe you a few debts._ "Though we have accepted Democracy to a certain level, majority of the old magical houses still retain Lordship over a certain domain. This title gives them certain privileges and responsibilities. I, myself, hold the lordship of Black family. So, as head of the Black house, one of my responsibilities is to protect my family. The Quileutes are a descendant of my ancestral lineage. My secret wouldn't have stayed such for a long time, given my involvement with the tribe."

"Then why are you revealing all of this to us, now? Why after a year? Why did you come to Forks, in the first place?" asked Jasper.

"Sorry, but I couldn't take the risk to reveal my secrets to your clan before I trusted you, which I do, now, with utmost respect for your ideals and practices. Additionally, I thought Edward might greatly suspect something off after the events of last night." She grimaced, "He would have demanded some explanation sooner or later…" _And I just couldn't get myself to lie to him._

"You're hiding something else." Jasper said with a frown.

Harry stared at Jasper, her own gaze turning calculating, a few seconds later realization dawned on her face, "An Empath!" she whispered, though not lowly enough as every vampire in the room tensed.

"Please, relax. I already know Edward is a telepath; I have already promised not to reveal your secrets to anyone. And, you're correct, Jasper. I also have a personal agenda behind today's visit; But that is something I would like to discuss with Edward, alone," Harry said, firmly.

Everyone turned to look at Edward. His expression though blank, held hidden admiration for the strong woman in front of them. He looked at Harry in the eye before saying, "I have a few questions that I would like to ask." Harry nodded for him to continue. "Why can't I read your thoughts right now? Why do I only get glimpses of your mind every now and then?"

"I have built a magical shield around my mind. The art of building this shield is part of a magical branch, known as Occulemency. That is what protects my thoughts. You can only read my mind when I have lowered this shield. You can also pick up anything that I intentionally place outside this shield."

"So basically, your magic is why I can't read your thoughts? Then why can't I read Isabella's mind?"

 _He can't read Bella's thoughts!? A natural Occulemens!_ "Umm… I have nothing to do with that. Though it is not unheard of; some non magical beings are born with this magical shield around their minds. We call them natural Occulemens. They are extremely rare."

Edward nodded, his expression turned thoughtful; before he continued, "I saw your eyes change their color yesterday. Do they reflect your emotions? Does that happen when you're angry?"

"No," Harry said, "But, you are partially correct. My emotions affect my magic. My anger, made me lose control. As a result the glamour around my eyes shattered. Glamour spells form a branch of magic related to disguises." Harry sighed, "Well, to be precise; that was the true color of my eyes."

"Wait, disguise? What do you mean?" Rosalie asked, looking up from her perfectly manicured nails.

Harry contemplated. _Should I show them my true form? Well, they have already promised to uphold my secret. And if what I have planned succeeds, they will see my true form sooner or later._ Decision made, Harry looked up to meet Edward's eyes before looking back at Rosalie. "I am fairly well known in the magical community; partially due to the titles I hold." _Partially due to some crazy Dark Lords, Hell bent on killing me._ "To protect myself during the time I was… ill… I thought it best to relocate under disguise." Her wand slid from its holster up her sleeve into her palm with one practiced flick of her wrist. She placed the wand on her clothed rune and just like that, her glamour vanished.

Her mid length dull brown hair, lengthened to reach her waist in luscious black waves. Her skin lightened until it reflected her naturally glowing skin. Her lightning bolt scar was now visible beneath her bangs. Her features sharpened to reflect her aristocratic lineage, cheeks turning sharper, lips fuller. Placing her wand to her temple, she brought down the glamour on her eyes as Emerald fire blazed to life, beneath her closed eyelids.

Taking a deep breath, she looked up to meet the faces of her vampire allies, only to smile softly in amusement. _Well, don't let anyone tell you Vampires cannot be shocked._ Alice was the first to break the silence as she giggled, "You're Pretty!" She exclaimed without preamble. Esme gave her a small private smile. Harry smiled in return, blushing faintly.

She turned to look at Edward, feeling sparks run down her spine as she looked into those molten gold pools. Strange emotions rose within her as she continued to stare, unable to look away.

The moment was broken as Rosalie left the room; sliding the porch door open, noisily. _Like an unruly child._ Harry thought, amused as she turned to watch her go. Emmet was quick to follow her out, throwing an apologetic smile in Harry's direction as he went.

Carlisle cleared his throat, gaining back her attention. "Thank you for trusting us with your secrets. Though I do not fully understand the motive behind your reveal, I can safely assure you that your efforts are appreciated. You seem to know a lot about us, already. But don't hesitate to ask us any questions you may have."

"Thank you, Dr. Cullen - " Harry started. "Call me Carlisle, please." He interrupted. Harry smiled.

"Thank you, Carlisle. I appreciate the offer." Harry said, nodding her head at both Esme and Carlisle who returned the gesture before leaving the room. Harry turned to look at Edward who had yet to move from his position by the couch. "Edward, may I speak to you, now?" she asked, hesitantly. He cocked his head to the side before nodding silently. Harry hurried to follow him, as he turned around to walk out of the room, up the staircase.

They came to a halt in front of a white oak door. Edward looked at her, taking an unnecessary breath, before pushing the door open.

 _Mom, Dad, Sirius… wish me luck…_


	19. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

 _Location: Cullen's Residence_

Harry looked around to take in the tastefully decorated room; with shelves upon shelves of Books and Music CDS clattering one wall, to the floor to ceiling glass window that covered another. "Is this your room?" she asked.

"Yes." He replied, softly.

"It's beautiful," Harry acknowledged before turning to look back at him, "So, do you want to ask some more questions before I start?"

"I have about a thousand questions I want to ask you, Harry. Maybe later, though." Edward replied, with a small smile.

"Okay then. Let's get to the point. Earlier when I was asked about my motives, regarding why I decided to share my secrets with your clan, I could only tell you a part of the reason. I would like to share with you my primary motive, now."

Edward looked curious.

"I've known your clan for a year and a half. And as I've already acknowledged, during this time, you have truly gained my respect and admiration. But it's you, who truly motivated me to bridge this gap between us. As of now, you've already risked exposure to save me twice. How can I, keep my secrets to myself, when you've already proved that you hold me above your own?"

Harry took a deep breath, preparing for whatever is to come. _Come on Harry! You're a Gryffindor! Act like it!_

"I would like to court you," Harry said, in the next breath, looking at Edward nervously.

Edward stared blankly at her for a moment, before straightening his posture, "Courting? Does that mean the same thing that I think it does?"

"Like I said, we follow some old traditions and courtship is a part of it. My godfather raised me with those ideals once he knew I would have to take the mantle of 'Head of the House'."

"… Why me?" Edward said, running a hand through his messy hair.

Harry smiled, "Why you? Because… You are intelligent. You are humorous. You are talented. You care about me. I trust you. I love how easy it is to talk to you. And I want to… I want to know more about you. I want to learn your likes, dislikes and habits. Simply put… I'd like to give 'us' a try."

"But…" Edward stopped, before starting again, "I do care about you, Harry. And that is why I cannot allow this to proceed. You're beautiful, inside and out. I'm not, I'm a monster. And I don't want to hurt you, Harry. You know I'm physically stronger than you, and…. No… I can't take that risk to fulfill my own selfish motives… I don't deserve you." He said the last part turning away from her.

Harry sighed. Walking forward, she encircled his wrist with her hand, before tugging it gently to pull him towards the staircase. Edward frowned, but followed her, silently. Getting downstairs, she started walking towards the front door, before continuing onward. She reached the forest surrounding his house and only then, released his wrist from her grasp. Edward stayed silent, mildly confused but largely curious.

Harry walked ten steps away from him before turning back around to face him. She grinned at his confused expression, before her expression turned into a smirk. "Okay then, try to incapacitate me." She said, her wand sliding in her hand.

She was aware that they were not alone. She could sense the Cullen family watching them from the house.

Edward's expression turned wary, but there was a determined glint in his eyes. He slowly took a step happened. He took the next step, and suddenly, encountered an invisible barrier. He felt around, touching the invisible wall. He tried pushing at it, but the wall did not budge. Pulling his hand back, he punched the wall. But, it still didn't give way; rather the wall seemed to fold around his fist like an elastic.

"Come on, Edward. You are stronger than me, physically, you should be able to incapacitate me." Harry taunted lightly. Edward felt a small smile tug at his lips. He ran back a few paces and turned around to face Harry. Giving her a light smirk of his own, he ran at full speed towards her; hoping that the barrier will shatter with the force of his momentum. He felt strangely satisfied when the barrier threw him back with the same speed with which he had rammed into it. Harry waited at the center, twirling her wand in her hand. For the next three minutes, he tried every method that he could think of. Throwing himself at it did not work. Trying to jump directly on top of Harry did not work. What was strange was that the barrier specifically only kept him outside. Wind, even stones and sticks passed through it, easily.

"What if I throw a stone to knock you out?" Edward asked.

"Well, if it hits me, I'll definitely fall unconscious. Might bleed profusely, but, you still won't be able to get to me." Harry replied.

Edward narrowed his eyes.

 _Hmm... Time to change my tactics._ "Fine, come at me, again." Harry said, she closed her eyes and expanded her magical senses. She may not be fast enough to see Edward with her eyes, but she could follow his aura in her mind. She carefully removed the magical barrier, then. As soon as he felt the wall vanish, Edward ran towards her at a human pace. _Too Easy._ Harry slashed her wand in his direction and sensed as the spell knocked Edward back into some trees. He came at her again, faster this time. Harry smiled, again shooting a mild blasting hex from her wand; sending Edward crashing into a boulder, shattering it. She felt him get up. This time, he paused for a few seconds before running at her at his true speed.

He reached Harry and wrapped his arms around her in an iron grasp. "Caught you," he whispered softly in her ears. Harry created a small isolation barrier between her and Edward. "Did you?" she whispered back and vanished with a pop. Reappearing a few paces in front of him again, Harry grinned at the shock displayed on Edward's face, as he stared at his empty hands. "Do you give up? Or will you try again?" she asked, tauntingly. Edward looked up, a small grin stretching his face.

He ran towards her again, holding her in the same position, "I'll keep trying to catch you, till you get tired." Harry grinned, laying her head on his shoulder.

"Alright then, try to get me again." Harry said; apparating once more, before shooting an ' _immoblulus'_ at Edward. And just like that, Edward felt his body stiffen; turning to stone. He struggled to move his limbs, tried to speak… and, nothing moved. The only part of himself he could control, were his eyes; which locked onto a pair of fiery emerald green ones.

Harry gave him a small smile, as she walked closer. "So, you see, I can defend myself. I've been doing so for as long as I remember. Then again, during all of this, I gave you so many opportunities to truly hurt me, Edward. Not once, did you try to take advantage of such an opportunity. You were clear with your motives. You were careful." Harry said, releasing the hold of her spell over Edward. "Don't you dare call yourself a monster. I've seen monsters. I've seen evil. And you're not it, you're not even close. So, let me be the judge of who deserves to be with me!" she continued. _I have had enough people in my life trying to dictate my actions!_ "I just want to know one thing, do you find me interesting enough to try and give 'us' a chance. If not, then I promise not to bother you. Do not feel obligated to answer positively. If you want time to think this through, well… I can wait." she said softly, closing her eyes.

Edward felt a torrid of emotions at that moment: Admiration, excitement, attraction, exhilaration, joy, curiosity; but most importantly, he felt hope. Feeling a helpless smile take over his face, he slowly raised his hands to cradle Harry's face and tilt it upwards to meet his own.

Bending his head down, he pressed his lips to hers, softly. Harry sighed into the kiss, feeling her magic go wild, running through them, like a current. The kiss was chaste; but still, it felt like it had lasted a millennium; a millennium that wasn't long enough, ironically. Raising her hands, she encircled Edward into her arms, before resting her head on his chest. "Typical," Harry said in a breathless voice, "I just had to throw my intended into some trees, and rocks; make him helpless with my magic; before he agreed to court me." She said, ending with a chuckle, which turned into full tinkering laughter when Edward joined her with his own chuckle.

 _I hope I'm doing the right thing, Sirius. For once, I'm going to do what you have always asked of me. I'm going to follow my heart._

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ Aww! They kissed! Yayyee! This chapter was difficult to write. I hope I've done it some justice. Let me know if you liked it! 3


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